They Aren't the Only Lovers in this Arena
by e.rome
Summary: We all know about the tragedy that is the star-crossed lovers of District 12, but what about the story of the Lovers of District 2?
1. The Reaping

**Chapter 1: The Reaping**

**Clove:**

I stare blankly at the dust motes as they dance in the sunlight streaming through my window. There's nothing to do today except sit and wait for the reaping at one in the afternoon.

Most people would spend their time sobbing like the damn fools they are, but not me. Unlike them, I've been training for the Hunger Games since the day I turned 10, going for long runs, wrestling, throwing knives, all of that fun stuff. My favorite part is the knives, and I'm pretty much a prodigy when it comes to handling them. I'd be able to flaunt those skills if it weren't for those other careers volunteering before I get the chance to! But this is going to be my year, I can just feel it.

Just then someone bursts through my door and I turn around sharply, wielding a long, dainty knife in my hand. "Geez, Clove, put that thing away!" my sister shrieks, her voice coated thick with fear. I mean, sure, I'm pretty heartless, but I would never try to hurt my sister, Piper. "You know, a _real_ lady would never even know how to use that knife. I mean, you're 15, it's time for you to embrace womanhood…" Ugh, there she goes again with her "Be a lady" speech. It's pointless, really, and I tune her out and play with the hem of my shirt because I will never, _ever_, succumb to her shallow, girlish ways. It's just a waste of time.

"Anyway, the reaping is about to start, let's go!" Piper chimes. Funny how a girly-girl like her can enjoy an event like the reaping. Aren't they supposed to be scared of this Hunger Games stuff? Eh, who knows, it is Piper we're talking about here. "Wait up!" I shout as she prances out the door, and I put away my knife and trot after her.

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><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

I am one of the first people to arrive at the reaping. Punctuality is everything, right? Argh, I'm such a dumbass, no one cares if you come early.

My friends Granite and Rocky charge at me, knocking me to the ground. I can't help but think of how dumb their names are. I mean, yeah, sure, District 2 is the masonry district, but do you _really_ have to name your kids after a rock? "Get off you idiots, let's not injure your next victor!" I say as I stand up, brushing the dirt from my clothes. "So you're really going to do it? Volunteer?" Rocky inquires. "Of course he's going to do it, he's Cato Eeron!" Granite shouts, slapping me in the back.

The town square has really filled up now and Kayval Wentsorth, District 2's escort, steps up to the microphone calling for everybody's attention in her odd Capitol accent. "Well then, let's get started!" she says with the excitement of a 6 year old on Christmas morning. After going through the motions that the reaping requires, she pulls a name from the girl's bowl. Sandy Torsbey is the name that's called, but before she can stand there is a shout from the crowd. "I volunteer!" the girl says. I look to see who it is as she struts across the stage. Clove? Clove Hartwood? Yep, that's her, same bitch she was 2 years ago when she threatened to cut out my throat for trying to start a conversation with her. Oh well, it was her loss.

My attention is diverted as Kayval crosses to the boy's bowl, drawing out a name. But before she can utter the first syllable I am heading up to the stage. "I volunteer as tribute!" I announce in my deep baritone voice. "And what are your names?" our escort asks politely. "Clove Hartwood." Clove says, spitting the words like venom into the microphone. "Cato Eeron." I say. "Okay then, it's decided! Your District 2 tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games, Cato and Clove!" Kayval says, thick with praise for us in every note of her sing-song phrase.

The crowd erupts into a roaring applause, which I find quite flattering. I wink out at the cameras for good measure. Yep, that will definitely get me some sponsors. But Clove, on the other hand, is showing less emotion than a brick. She's so hard to read, and I'm determined to break her, but that will have to wait for our train ride to the Capitol.


	2. The Train Ride

**Chapter 2: The Train Ride**

**Clove:**

After saying my goodbyes to my oddly large family, I board the train with Cato and our mentors, Jace Hoort and Fallon Denton.

My mentor, Fallon, won her Hunger Games when she was 12. _12. _She's 16 now and the sweetest person you will ever meet, but if you mess with her, there's no telling what your fate may be. Jace, on the other hand, won his games when he was 17, and is now 19 years old. He is just one big goofball, always trying to lighten the mood. And if I'm not mistaken, I'm almost positive that Fallon and Jace are more than just friendly if each other, if you know what I mean.

Once we're on the train, my mentor shows me to my room and leaves me alone. I would stay to look around, but I have more important things to do; get Cato to be my ally. I walk out of my room and burst through the door across from me. "What the hell are you doing? Ever heard of knocking?" Cato shouts at me. I brush it off. "Like it matters, think you're going to have privacy in the arena?" He knows I'm right and has nothing to say now, so I just grin smugly at him.

I cross to the bed where he now sits and sit across from him. My pulse picks up, but I really don't know why. "So, neither of us is going to win these games alone. I say we team up. With your skills with a spear and a sword, and my abilities with a knife, it would be a good alliance. What do you say?" I ask him. "Fine, allies it is." "Good." And with that, I march out the door and back into my own room.

Oh. My. God. Cato just gave me butterflies. "No. You can't have feelings for him." I tell myself. I have to keep my feelings for him sterile, business like even. So I push those thoughts aside and get ready for dinner.

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><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

Clove and I allies? Yep, Hell has definitely frozen over. And what was that about? She can't just bust into my room whenever she feels like it! But there's something about her attitude that just oozes some type of sexy.

Crap, I need to get my head in the game. I came here to kill, to win the Hunger Games! Now is no time to be thinking about Clove that way.

I throw on a clean shirt and walk two cars down to the dining car, where a big meal has been placed for Kayval, Jace, Fallon, Clove and I. Not much is said at dinner. Our mentors discuss interview strategies with us and give us some tips for the arena, Kayval talks about how excited she is to be going back to the Capitol and Clove and I exchange a few remarks about how good the food is.

When I finish I head back to my room and slip in between the satin sheets and fall into a dreamless sleep.

When I wake up I look out my window and see that it is still dark, so I just walk on down to the lounge car for a change of scenery. When I get there I see Clove sitting by her self on the couch, playing with her long, dark hair. Eh, might as well join her, so I go and sit across from her on the couch. She doesn't seem to notice my presence, so I reach over and shake her leg. She snaps her head up and looks at me, blushing. "Sorry! I was… day dreaming" she says, turning away from me. "What about?" I ask her, trying to start up a conversation. "… Things." she says, blushing some more. Geez, she's acting really strange, where's the cold-blooded girl that threatened to cut out my throat 2 years ago?

"What's that?" she asks me, nodding to the ring I've been tossing back and forth between my hands. "Oh, this?" I say, holding it up for her to get a better look at it. "This is a ring with my family crest on it, it was my uncle's token that he took into the arena with him for the 2nd Quarter Quell when he was 18." I say in a solemn tone. That was the year when they had double the tributes for the 50th anniversary of the games.

"My uncle was beaten to death by a District 12 tribute for the whole country to see, and when my father told me the story of his games when I turned 12, I decided to train for the games so that I could go into the arena and avenge him."

"Oh…" is all that Clove can say, so I go on with my story, "When I told my dad about wanting to train for the games, he lost it. He couldn't bear to lose another family member to the Hunger Games. My father had always been a little crazy, but after that night the insanity took over completely, and he hung himself. My mother followed in his footsteps a couple of years later, too depressed to keep living. After that my sister, Euthalia, took care of me and our two twin siblings, Ariston and Helena."

"I… I'm so sorry… I had no idea…" Clove stammers. "Well, they say that time heals everything." You know, whoever said that was a liar. Some wounds just don't heal, but I lied about that so that I wouldn't break down in front of Clove. She needs to see me as a strong competitor, not some weak fool.

A tear trickles down my cheek and lands on the ring in my hands. Clove lightly grabs my chin, forcing me to look at her. I never realized how beautiful her eyes are, so big and dark with small flecks of amber and gold here and there. "You alright?" she asks in a gentle tone, wiping a tear from my cheek. "Yeah, I'm fine. See you in the morning." I push her hand away and walk out of the lounge car and straight back to my room, back into the satin sheets.

That's when the tears really come. I haven't talked about my parents in a long time, and why not admit it? I miss them. After all of the tears had subsided, I turned my thoughts to Clove. She had finally put down her walls and showed me the real Clove. "Oh, great" I think to myself. "Now I'm falling for her even faster than I was before."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I really wanted to make Cato's back story tragic and give him another reason to hate District 12. How was it? Write me a review!


	3. The Remake Center

**Chapter 3: The Remake Center**

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><p><strong>Clove:<strong>

God, I hate Cato. I start to like him and then suddenly he seems to have a heart after all and tells me about his life and makes me feel like a monster for hating him all of these years. I thought that he was just a bull-headed, super strong, dense flirt. Guess I was wrong. And that whole episode that just occurred makes me like him even more.

Ugh, I need to sleep on this, I'll decide what to do with my feelings in the morning. With that I get up off of the couch and head back to my room, but I can't seem to fall asleep, so I just lay there until morning.

When I get to breakfast in the morning I am the second one there. I go and sit across the table from Cato as the Avoxes serve us our food. It's so awkward between us now because both of us are embarrassed about what happened last night, so I try to start up a conversation, but he beats me to it. "How did you sleep?" he asks me. "Well enough." Can he see the dark circles under my eyes? He gives me this look, almost as if he's worried about me, and that answers my question. Yep, he can see them alright.

"Hey, what's that on your arm?" he asks, nodding to some scars on my upper arm. "Oh. I… umm… got attacked by a dog." "Cut the crap, Clove. What _really_ happened?" Oh God. So it seems like our morning is going to be just like last night, except now _I'm_ telling the sob story. "Well, you see, every reaping day that my sister or I don't volunteer, he gives each of us a deep gash on our left arm with his knife, saying that he'll keep doing it until one of us becomes a victor of the hunger games. My one sister, Piper, is just too faint hearted to ever even think about volunteering for the games, and I promised myself that I would never let my father lay his hands on my little sister, Atonia. So that's when I started to train for the games, picking the knife as my weapon of choice, knowing how much pain it can cause a person. And since Atonia turned 12 this year, I volunteered for the games to save my sisters from having to deal with my father's knife." I say in a cold tone, resurfacing my hate for my father.

Cato doesn't say anything for a while, and I wonder what's going on in his mind. Was he even listening? Because I sure as hell won't be repeating that again. "You must really love your sisters." Is what finally comes out of his mouth. "More than anyone will ever know." I mumble in response, dropping my gaze. Piper and Atonia are like air to me, I _need_ them. But I'll probably never see them again because there is no way that I will be winning these games with Cato in the arena too. I just hope that someone else will be able to stick up for them against my father when I die. Who knows, maybe my spineless mother will finally work up the guts and do it herself, but I doubt it. God, I need to stop thinking like this! I _will _win these games, and even Cato won't stand a chance against my knife throwing abilities if I catch him by surprise.

"Oh. My. God." Cato says. I follow his gaze to see what could've made him say that, and then I see it. The Capitol. It's truly is a gorgeous city, but its lack of rock disturbs me. Guess that's what happens to you when you're coming from District 2. Everything seems to be made out of some sort of metal, shaped to form these fantastic buildings and skyscrapers. I look to the right and I can see the Training Center, where the other tributes and I will be spending the next week in preparation for the games.

We come to a halt and Cato comes up to me and grabs my shoulder, breaking me out of my daze. "You coming?" he asks. "Let's go!" I say with a little excitement. He grabs my hand to help me up from my seat and we head out to the station. As we walk I can't help but blush, _Cato Eeron _is holding _my_ hand!

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

I drop Clove's hand before we get off of the train, we want people to think that we're brutal killers, and holding hands on camera would be one step in the wrong direction.

Jace and Fallon join us at the exit, telling us that we'd see them after the opening ceremonies, wishing us luck. Then Kayval comes and tells us to follow her so that we can get to the Remake Center. So we all exit the train and make out way over to meet our prep teams, which is surprisingly hard with a bunch of cameramen in your way.

Once we get to the Remake Center our prep teams usher Clove and I into two separate rooms to "pretty us up", as Kayval puts it. I don't really pay attention to anything that's going on until my stylist, Aldric, walks in with my costume. He's such an odd little old man, probably in his 70's or 80's. His skin has been dyed a pure white and his hair and eyebrows hot pink and his teeth have been sharpened to points. I look away as he speaks, too creeped out to look at him.

"So you see, Mr. Eeron," says Aldric, "seeing as though you and your fellow tribute come from the masonry district, the girl's stylist, Floriana, and I designed you two as marble statues. Such statues are were almost always of nude men and women, but Floriana and I have a little more class than that so we have given you marble-looking togas to wear." Thank God, because I don't think I'm ready for all of Panem to see me stark naked.

Aldric hands my prep team the costume and they put me in it. Geez, did they make this thing out of actual rock? I mean, it's as heavy as one… "Oh, and before I forget, Mr. Eeron, this toga is made out of synthetic marble, it has the look an feel of the real thing!" and with that he scurries out of the room. Can this guy read minds or something? I brush off my thoughts of him as I look at myself in the mirror for the first time since my transformation. Wow, I really do look like a rock.

"Come on, we're going to be late!" one of my preps chirps, and with that they walk me down the hall, push me into an elevator, and hit a button marked "Stables".

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Sorry that Cato's POV was a little boring, but I had to get that part in there before I could move on to the opening ceremonies! Did you like Clove's story? Go tell me in a review!


	4. The Opening Ceremonies

**Chapter 4: The Opening Ceremonies**

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><p><strong>Clove:<strong>

Thank God I'm strong, because this toga-dress-thingy is _so_ heavy! I can't even imagine how much worse it would be if I were weaker. And who the hell makes clothes out of rocks anyway?

As I approach my district's chariot, I realize that I'm not the only thing made out of rock tonight. Our chariot is synthetic marble with ornate gold patterns weaving in and out of each other, and our horses appear to look like marble statues too. I don't believe that they're actually real until I go up and lightly stroke one of the horse's necks, and they're real alright. How does the Capitol _do_ that?

When I turn around I see Cato emerging from the elevator, and my heart skips a beat. Ugh, I need to stop doing that! But he's just so… so… god-like? Yeah, that's the word. He looks like a marbled god descending from the heavens. Damn, I really have to give our stylists some more credit. A man who I assume is Cato's stylist, Aldric, rushes him over to our chariot and tells us to get on.

"Now, you two need to stand separated from each other, and stand tall, we want Panem to see you two as strong individuals who are higher than the rest of us, we want them to fear your power." says Floriana in her deep timbre. Cato and I follow her instruction and the District 1 chariot takes off. We hear the crowd "ooh" and "ahh" at their spectacular display of glitter and jewels as we begin to trot out of the stables and into the street. Once we emerge, the cameras turn to us, fascinated by our marble display and captivated by our demand for power.

But then the audience starts fussing about some tributes on fire and I glance up to one of the screens as we approach the circle and see the District 12 tributes. And they're _on fire._ I look out of the corner of my eye and see that Cato is just as infuriated as I am about our spotlight being taken by a bunch of coal miners. They're the least favorite district! Pay attention to _us_, not _them_! I stand up straighter, hold my chin higher, and make my face that of a ruthless goddess. _I _am on top. I will _not_ accept defeat to these losers.

Before I know it, President Snow's speech ends and the anthem booms throughout the streets, seems that he was speaking while I was distracted by my silent rant going on in my head. Oh well, he always says the same stuff every year anyway. But I just can't get over the fact that 12 literally outshone us. They even outshone those shallow, glittering idiots from District 1, and they always get the most attention!

Just then Fallon and Floriana help me out of the chariot and out of my synthetic marble toga so that I can actually get into the car. It's a good thing that the designers thought this through and put a marble-looking bodysuit underneath of the toga. Yet again, I really need to give them more credit. When I get into the car that is to take us to the Training Center I see that the other seats are taken up by Cato, the District 1 tributes, and the District 4 tributes. How convenient, all of the strongest competitors in one place.

I am about to seize the opportunity to form an alliance but the 1 girl beats me to it. "So, we all know that Districts 1, 2, and 4 always have the best tributes. How about an alliance?" "Deal." The 4's say simultaneously, getting the word out so fast that it seems they're afraid that the offer will just slip away if they're not fast enough. I turn to Cato, and he gives me a nod, so I say "Deal. Shouldn't we get on a first name basis if we're going to be allies?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'm Glimmer!" says the girl from 1. Glimmer? You can't be serious. "And I'm Marvel" says her fellow tribute. I have to stifle my laugh so as not to ruin our new alliance, but Cato can't seem to do the same. He bursts out laughing, "Seriously? Marvel and Glimmer? What's your last names, Sparkle and Gold?" more laughter from Cato. "My sister's name is Sparkle." Glimmer says, anger and frustration seeping into her tone. Before Cato can laugh anymore, I shoot him a glare. He composes himself and says, "How about you, 4?" "I'm Coral, and this is Flynn. Flynn is… a mute." "Well at least he won't give away our spot when we're on the hunt in the arena!" says Marvel, trying to lighten the mood.

"Anyway, I'm Clove." "And I'm Cato." we say. "Well then, see you at training in the morning!" says Glimmer in her cheery voice after Avoxes open our car doors, helping us out and ushering us through the foyer and into the elevators, pushing the number 2 for us.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

Clove and I are standing silently in the elevator, not knowing what to say to each other when all of a sudden, the elevator comes to a stop. "Huh. That's weird, the Capitol's stuff never breaks." I say. "It didn't break…" Clove mumbles. "Then what happened?" "I pushed the emergency stop button." she says, blushing. "Why would you do that?" I ask her, starting to get a little freaked out. "Because I've been wanting to do this." and with that she stands on tiptoe, wraps her arms around my neck, and kisses me.

Woah, I did _not_ expect that to happen. There's something about her confidence that makes me want her more, just like when we first got on the train. So as she pulls away, I grab her waist, pulling her back in to the kiss. She presses her body against mine, braiding her fingers into my hair. This kiss lingers a little more, and I start to feel the elevator moving again, so I reluctantly let go of Clove. She seems to understand too, and as the doors open and Jace and Fallon greet us, we act as if nothing ever happened.

"You guys were spectacular tonight!" Fallon gushes. "Yeah, yeah, they were great. Let's go, I'm hungry!" says Jace, already heading off to our dining quarters. Well, that's Jace for you, always thinking with his stomach. I wonder how he stays so thin…

Before Clove and I can go join him, two Avoxes show us our rooms so that we can freshen up. The two rooms are right across from each other, just like it was on the train. I go into my room and hop into the shower, erasing all traces of marble paint from my body, pressing various buttons that Jace showed me how to use earlier. As soon as I am tan again I get out, dry off, and pick out jeans and a gray t-shirt from my high tech closet. I open my door and head on over to the place where dinner is being served.

Just as I sit down, lamb stew is being set on the table. I scarf it down, what with not eating since breakfast. When I finish, Clove walks in and sits down across from me. I can't keep myself from staring at her, and she can't seem to keep herself from staring at me. Fallon, Jace, and Kayval get up from the table and head back to their rooms, telling us to be ready for breakfast at 8 and that training starts at 10. Now that they're gone, Clove and I are alone and can finally talk. Well, the Avoxes are still here, but they can't speak, so it doesn't matter what you say in front of them.

"So, what are we? Because, if I'm not mistaken, I'm not the only one who enjoyed that kiss in the elevator." Clove says, looking me straight in the eye. "You're right, and I'm actually kinda pissed that the elevator didn't stop any longer, but we can't do this. These are the games, Clove!" I say, my voice rising in frustration at our situation. "Fine, sorry I asked!" Clove says, frustration and anger now noticeable in her tone too.

"I just thought… maybe… ugh, never mind." she says, storming out of the dining hall. I chase after her and grab her by the arm just before she reaches the doors. "Cato, stop! You're hurting me!" she says, and as I release my grip I see that there is now a red handprint replacing my hand. Shit, I had a stronger grip on her than I thought.

"Sorry Clove, it's just that I came here to avenge my uncle, to make losing both of my parents worth it, I came here to make a better life in the Victor's Village for Euthalia, Ariston, Helena and I. I can't just throw that all away because I'm falling for another tribute!" I practically shout at her. "Well you're not the only one with problems, Cato! If I don't win the games, my dad will start cutting up Piper and Atonia after every reaping again! I can't even bear the thought of failing my sisters." Clove shouts back at me, tears now welling up in her eyes. "I know that we both can't win these games, and this relationship is a big risk to our survival in the arena, but I don't care. It just seems worth it to me." She says, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"_Worth it?_ Are you crazy? One of us, if not both of us, is going to _die_ out there. If we go into that arena as lovers, it will only hurt more than if we just drop the thing entirely." I say, looking her in the eye, trying to make her see reason. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all…" Clove mumbles.

Don't get me wrong, I want Clove, but I'm just trying to do what's best for us as tributes. But you know what, maybe someone will kill her before I have to, and then I'll just find some way to move on. Clove turns for the door again, but I grab her arm again before she can take a step. I bend down and crush my lips against hers, grabbing her waist and pulling her against me. She grabs the hair at the back of my neck and pulls me deeper into the kiss. She backs away for a second, catching her breath.

"You really need to make up your mind; you're giving me whiplash." she pants in between breaths. I kiss her again, grabbing the fabric at the small of her back with one hand, cupping her face with the other. Well that answered her question for her. She arches her back slightly and grabs my face with her hands.

Eventually she breaks the kiss again and we break our tight grip on each other, now only holding hands. She shoots her gaze downward and, blushing, says. "You know, we're moving quite fast, considering that the first time we've ever spent time together was what, almost two days ago?" "True, but who cares?" I say.

Just then we realize that the Avoxes have been watching the whole time, their jaws dropped in shock at what they just witnessed. Clove and I burst out into laughter, half because of our embarrassment, and half because of their reactions. I've never heard Clove laugh before, not once when we passed each other in school, on the streets, or on the training grounds back in District 2. Heck, I don't think I've ever seen her smile before.

"Now that I think about it, we just gave those Avoxes a really good show!" she says, trying to stifle her laughter. "We should probably get to our rooms before Jace and Fallon come after us." I point out. "Right, well we'd better hurry up." she says, realizing how much time has passed since they left us. She grabs my arm and puts it over her shoulder as we make our way over to the door.

As if right on cue, our mentors burst through the door just moments before we reach it, and Clove drops my arm almost immediately. I'm glad she gets that we're still going to try to maintain the whole "strong, powerful individuals" thing. "What have you guys been up to?" Fallon inquires, shooting us a glare. The Avoxes get back to work and Clove quickly comes up with a good cover-up. "We were just discussing strategies for the arena." she says. Wow, she's a really good liar. That isn't even entirely a lie, I mean, I think that our previous argument could be classified as finding a strategy to win. But Fallon isn't buying it, clearly she saw my arm around Clove as she was walking in.

"Let's just cut the crap, we saw you with your arm around Clove, clearly _something_ is going on. Quite frankly, I don't care, just as long as one of you wins the games. Let's keep this between us four, alright?" Jace says. "Way ahead of you." I reply as relief flushes over me. I don't know what I was so worried about in the first place, I mean, what were they going to do? We're already getting thrown into an arena to fight to the death, and I can't imagine that there could be a worse punishment.

"Good. Now go get some sleep, you need to kill it in training tomorrow, make them fear you. Not just the other tributes, but the Gamemakers too." Jace says. With that we all head back to our rooms, and when our mentors aren't looking, I turn to Clove and kiss her. "See you at breakfast." I whisper into her ear. Then I open my door and head into my room, calling it a night.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This chapter was a lot of fun to write and is the longest one yet! I really hope that you enjoyed it, considering that I pushed through a migraine and a small headache to get this published when I did... Anyway, let me know what you think!


	5. Training

**Chapter 5: Training Day 1**

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><p><strong>Clove:<strong>

"Well, that was fun." I say to myself as I plop down on my bed and go to sleep. Soon enough, a horrible nightmare disturbs my dreamless sleep.

I am in the arena with Glimmer, Marvel, Coral, and Cato. Flynn lies on the ground, dead. I look around to see what possibly could've killed him, but I can't make anything out because the scenery keeps changing. First it's a jungle, then a desert, a mountainside, a field, and then a forest. The different backgrounds change so rapidly my head starts to spin.

Just then, everybody but Cato and I drop dead. I look to Cato, confused, but then he slowly morphs into some rabid beast with longs fangs and claws like knives. I run as fast as I can, desperately trying to escape a certain death. The Cato-beast pounces on me, knocking me to the hard ground and removes its claws from my back, leaving gaping wounds where my flesh used to be. I roll over to see him hovering over me, lips pulled back in a snarl. "Cato, please!" I try to tell him, but I'm too late. He grabs my neck in his razor-sharp teeth and I scream a blood curdling scream as he tears out my throat.

That's when I wake up. There's an Avox sitting on the edge of my bed, who I assume has been trying to wake me up so that I would stop screaming. "Get out!" I scream at her. I know she meant well, but it's all I can do not to cause any physical harm to her. I feel vulnerable, and when I feel vulnerable, that's when the ruthless killer in me comes out.

Kayval knocks on my door. "Get up, Clove! We've got training to get to!" she chimes in her sing-song voice. I jump out of bed, driven by my rage, and throw on my all black training outfit. I quickly comb my hair back into a ponytail and stomp out the door and over to the dining hall.

I push open the doors and go to sit down, but an Avox gets in my way so I grab him by the shirt collar and punch him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. "Clove, what's gotten in to you?" Fallon scolds. "Oh, shut up!" I say, clearly pissed off. "You're only 6 months older than me, don't talk to me like you're my mother!" She grabs the knife next to her plate, but before she can do anything Jace grabs her wrist. "How about we all just calm down." Jace says in a careful tone, speaking as if one wrong note will set off a fuse.

Fallon releases her grip on the knife and glares at me. He continues, "And somebody get that Avox some medical attention." Two big, buff Avoxes come and pick up the unlucky guy laying unconscious on the floor and they carry him out the door to God knows where. "Now, what's up buttercup?" Jace asks me. "I just need a minute, okay?" I say, trying to compose myself. He looks at me, expecting me to say more, but I don't. I don't need to explain myself to anybody. And if someone has a problem with that? Well, let's just see how long they can last against my knives. "Well just save all of your anger for training, you're going to want to show off." Jace says, but I ignore him and eat my breakfast.

I ignore Cato for the rest of the meal, too. I can't stand to look at him, every time I think of his blue eyes it just reminds me of the beast that tore out my throat in my nightmare just this morning.

Soon enough it is 9:50 and Cato and I head on down to training. We step into the elevator, pressing the button marked Training Grounds. The floor we're headed to is three floors underground, and we still have 10 minutes until training, so I hit the button labeled Emergency Stop so that I can talk to Cato.

"Ugh, what now?" Cato grumbles. "What's wrong with you?" I ask him, feeling offended that he doesn't want to talk to me. "I'm just really not in the mood to talk to a bitchy girl on a murderous rampage." he says without any emotion, looking away from me. "Well it's your fault!" I shout at him. "What? How is this _my_ fault? I haven't talked to you since last night!" he shouts back at me, now looking me straight in the eye. I wince at the memory of the host of those deep blue eyes ripping into my flesh and look away from him. Argh, now I seem weak. So I turn back and glower at him, shouting at the top of my lungs, "If it weren't for last night, I wouldn't even be on this murderous rampage!"

"Well maybe this," he says, gesturing to the both of us, "was all a big mistake." "Maybe you're right!" I spit the words at him, filled with an all new rage. After a couple of seconds of just glaring at each other, we realize that elevator had started to move again somewhere in between all of our fighting, and now we're on the floor of the training grounds, elevator doors open, with a bunch of gawking faces staring at us in shock and disbelief. "Shit!" Cato says, kicking the wall. Clearly, we have just blown our cover.

I look around to see who actually saw us, and I feel slightly relieved when I realize that it is only the other Careers, no one else is down yet. "Wait, what's going on?" Glimmer questions. We just stare at her. _Really?_ You have to ask that question after seeing that whole fight go down?

Glimmer gasps, "_No. Way. _You two…" "Can it, Sparkles!" Cato says through clenched teeth. "My name is _Glimmer!_" she snarls back at him. She composes herself, and then continues, "What does it matter anyway? We all know now." "Yeah, well you can forget about it, because whatever Clove and I had is over!" Cato spits the words at her like venom.

I look back at him, and it must be impossible to not see the hurt in my eyes. I can't believe that I had just gotten Cato and lost him all in the course of about 12 hours. He didn't even hear me out! I mean, I wasn't lying when I said that my behavior was because of what happened between us last night. If I hadn't shown Cato how I really feel about him, I never would've had that nightmare last night. I would've never felt vulnerable and I would've never thrown my crazy bitch fit.

Argh, why is this so complicated?

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

What's up with Clove? First she kisses me, then she tells me she wants to be with me, and now she says that her murderous rampage is because of me?

I replay last night's conversation in my head, trying to see what went wrong, but I can't find anything! It ended with her kissing me, saying "See you at breakfast." smiling, and then us going into our rooms. Who knows, maybe she's just mentally unstable? It does sound logical though, because half of the time she's a total bitch and the other half she is a sweet, caring person. Maybe she's bipolar?

My thoughts are cut off when a woman, Atala, calls us all to the center of the training grounds. She tells us about the stations that are set up and that there are experts at each one and assistants to practice with.

When she dismisses us, I head straight for the spears and let out all of my anger the only way I know how; through violence. I look over to the knife station and see that Clove is doing the same. You know, maybe I'll try to talk things out with her tonight after we've both calmed down. I mean, I wanted to be with her for some reason, right?

I switch stations, getting tired of the spears after about half an hour and start working on my swordsmanship. I'm already a pro, but hey, I'm here to show off. The expert at the sword station is speechless, so I know I've done my job. I really don't feel like switching stations, though, so I just keep pulling new tricks out of my sleeve. A pivot here, a jump there, and the expert starts clapping for me. "You are truly remarkable, my boy!" says the old man in his raspy voice. "Thanks, I've been training with a sword since I was 12." I say in return.

"Cato, stop showing off and get over here!" Coral calls from the center of the room. I put back the sword and jog over to the other Careers. "Hey, we were just picking out some other tributes that may prove to be useful to us." Coral explains. "Clove wants that District 11 boy, and I want that boy from 12." She says. "No. I am _not_ teaming up with _anybody_ from 12." I tell her. "Told you so." Clove points out to Coral, and Coral just rolls her eyes. She actually remembered my hate for District 12, guess she does care.

"Why would you want him anyway?" I ask her. "Yeah, him and his partner are inseparable, and they're only going to the boring stations. What good is rope tying and camouflage going to do?" Marvel adds. "Well none of us know any of that crap, so he could do it for us, giving us an extra edge. Plus he looks like he's pretty strong…" Coral has a good point, so I might just have to suck it up and be allies with 12 kid. "Fine, you can ask him. But we are _not_ letting his partner tag along, got it?" I say, trying to compromise. "Got it." Coral agrees.

Then Flynn starts doing this funny thing with his hands, and so does Coral. "What are you guys doing?" I ask. "It's how they communicate. Since he can't speak, he uses his hands." Glimmer explains. Oh, well that makes sense now. "He wants to know who is going to ask the 11 boy to join us." Coral interprets for us. "I will, since I'm the one who wanted him on our side in the first place." Clove says. "Okay. Oh, looks like it's time for lunch." Coral points out.

We follow the rest of the tributes in to a cafeteria-like setting, grab our food, and sit down at a big table. In between one of Marvel's bad jokes and one of Glimmer's complaints, the boy from 12 comes up and asks if he can join our pack. "Sure, what's your name?" asks Marvel. "Peeta." "Well sit down, Peeta. This is Flynn and Coral from 4, Cato and Clove from 2, and this is Glimmer and I'm Marvel, we're from 1." Marvel says, introducing us to the new kid.

Oh, hey, Clove is back. I thought she was still trying to convince the 11 guy to join us. "What did he say?" asks Glimmer. "He said no, and then said that he would rather die alone than be grouped up with slugs like us." Clove responds, slightly annoyed at the insult. "Oh well, his loss." Coral adds.

We quickly finish our lunch and head back to training, and I can't wait for the end of the day to come so that I can try to mend things with Clove.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> _**passes out at keyboard**_ After hours of slaving away at my computer, I finally came up with a presentable final product. What do you think? Are their characters developing well? Let me know!


	6. The Interview

**Chapter 6: The Interview**

**Clove:**

I can't believe it! That District 12 bitch got the highest score! Sure, Cato got a 10 and I got a 9, but what sponsor is going to pay attention to that when she got an _11_. "You two better be the best damn tributes in that interview tomorrow or I'll make sure that you don't get _any _sponsors in that arena." Jace growls, his fury a reflection of my own, and gets up out of his seat and storms out of the lounge. Fallon just glares at us. "Tomorrow morning, be in the dining room at 8'o'clock sharp for your interview training. Got it?" she barks at us. I just glower at her, and she gives me the death stare before pivoting on her foot and practically marching out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Kayval can see that Cato and I are about to burst into furious rampages, so she scurries out of the room like some sort of scared little creature. I don't blame her. Hell, if I were her, I would've sprinted out of the room before the screening of our training scores even began.

Cato stands up from his spot on the couch and kicks the table in front of us, making one of its legs buckle. "That bitch!" he shouts at no one in particular. I would be lashing out, too, but I'm paralyzed in anger and in fear. The anger is obviously because of that 12 girl, Katniss I think her name is? But the fear is because of Cato. We haven't talked since our fight in the elevator two days ago, so I'm on his bad side. And when you're on his bad side and he's in a mood like this, he won't hesitate to snap your neck.

After kicking some more furniture, he stomps out of the lounge, down the hallway, and into his room. I jump out of my seat, finally letting my anger out, and pull out one of my knives that I stole from the kitchen. I storm over to the broken table and repeatedly stab Katniss' picture with all that I've got. When I finish I look down at what was a program of all of the tributes and am satisfied with my work. God, I can't wait to get my hands on that piece of scum. I pull my knife out of the table and walk out of the room, panting from all of the effort that went into freeing my fury. But there's one person I'm still mad at; Cato.

I walk over to his room and open the door, not bothering to knock. The only piece of furniture that still stands is his bed, which he now lies on. I'm honestly surprised that I didn't find him in a more feral state. I mean seriously, this guy could go on a murderous rampage for hours. "I need to talk to you." I hiss at him. "And I need to have a higher score than one of the poorest district's tributes, but we can't always get what we want." He spits back, not caring enough to look at me. "Get out, Clove!" he yells at me, stomping off into is bathroom to get away from me. I grab another kitchen knife from inside the jacket I'm wearing and throw it at the wall next to his head. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, God dammit!" I shout at him, my vision going red with fury. Oh how I wish I could just kill him already.

He turns around and glares at me with his piercing blue eyes, "What the hell? You could've killed me!" "You know that I have better aim than that, you dumbass!" I retort. He just stands there and looks at me, waiting for me to continue. "You never heard me out on the elevator the other day!" I yell. "And?" Cato says, clearly getting annoyed with me. "You're going to stand there while I explain my bitch-fit!" I demand. He takes a deep breath and sits down on the end of his bed, and I stomp over and stand in front of him.

I would really rather just run and hide instead of telling Cato about my feelings, but I need to get over my fear of being vulnerable, and soon, because any weakness will show in the arena, and I need to win.

I look him straight in the eye when I talk to him so that I seem strong and confident when I'm really not. "The night after we… talked strategy, I had a nightmare. We were in the arena and all of the careers dropped dead, except for us two. When I turned to face you, you morphed into some sort of wolf-like beast and, after a short chase, you tore my out my throat." I say in an emotionless tone. "And?" "And it made me feel vulnerable! I got scared, okay? If I put down my walls and let you in, it would make it so easy for you to kill me in the arena. The only people who I have ever trusted are my sisters. I have trust issues, Cato. And when I feel vulnerable, I lose it. I go on a murderous rampage and my walls go up, shutting myself off from the rest of the world."

He stands up and puts his face inches from mine. "Are you scared?" Cato whispers, clearly trying to intimidate me, but I continue to stand tall. "No." I say sternly.

There's an angry knock at the door. "Clove, I know you're in there! You two need to get to bed, interviews are tomorrow!" Jace shouts. I hear him stomp back to his room and I take my cue to leave, but before I open the door, Cato says, "I'd at _least _like an apology." "From me? Never!" I reply light-heartedly over my shoulder as I walk out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

Interview training goes by pretty quickly. It was decided off the get-go that I would portray myself as a bloodthirsty killer, and it was _incredibly_ easy to channel that side me, what with my fury still burning like a ravenous fire for Katniss. I want her dead. I _need_ her dead. And I'm going to be the one to kill her.

"Time to get you fixed up for your interview!" Kayval chimes. Ugh, all they care about here in the Capitol is looks. She shows me to a room on our floor that I haven't been to yet and my prep team meets me at the door and gets to work. Just like last time, I tune out their conversation. Instead my thoughts go to Clove.

I hate her so much for making me want her. I start thinking strategy; which route would be easiest? Go with the flow and let our relationship take its course, or end it. If I end it, I'll regret it. If I don't end it, I'll regret it. But which will I regret more? If I end this thing with Clove, I will be mentally worn out from constantly trying to pull myself away from my feelings for her, and that will greatly hinder my progress in the arena. But if I don't end it, one of us will die, and the other will be left with a broken heart. But when one of us wins, we can just move on, right? I mean, how could we become so attached to each other in just one month that that would be impossible? All this thinking is just making my head spin, so I think I'll just go with the flow. What happens, happens.

I'm pulled from my thoughts when Aldric waltz's into the room and hands me my outfit for the interview. This guy is always so debonair, it's just _weird_. I put on the suit and look at myself in the mirror. It's a grey suit, not much to it. And my make-up is very light, just highlighting my best features.

"Time to get to the stage." Says my stylist as he ushers me out of the room and points me to the elevator. He heads to the elevator on the other side of the floor so that he can go and take his seat. Just then, Clove comes out a room to my right, and I can't help but stare. She's wearing a form fitting grey gown, showing off her curves. "Are you done yet?" she asks jokingly. "It's not my fault that you look hot!" I reply, my hands going up in defense. "Oh, shut up." Clove mumbles, punching my arm lightly.

We step into the elevator and head on down to the ground level, _without_ Clove pushing the emergency stop button, thankfully. Although, I wouldn't mind another make-out session…

Clove grabs my arm and pulls me into the line of nervous tributes behind Glimmer and Marvel, and two minutes later, we walk onto the stage and take our seats. Caesar Flickerman - in a blue ensemble this year – warms up the audience before he begins the interviews.

First Glimmer, who wins all of the attention from the men of Panem with her sheer, golden gown; then Marvel, who wasn't all too memorable, if you ask me.

Next up is Clove, so she steps up to the stage and Caesar asks her days in the Capitol have been. "Really? That's the best question you have?" she asks. So Clove went with the "I'm a feisty bitch, hear me roar" attitude? Yep, suits her perfectly. The interviewer quickly masks his hurt feelings and says, "Ooh, feisty! So, do you have a special someone waiting for you back home?" raising his eyebrows and nudging her with his elbow. "Pfft, they wish!" she responds.

"So, Clove, what makes you think you'll win the games this year, seeing as though you volunteered?" he asks, trying to get a real response out of her. "You seriously think that I'm going to give away my strategy? I'm not an idiot, Flickerman." You can tell that he's getting frustrated.

"Well then, how about your family? How do you think they're dealing with this?" "They're damn proud! I didn't volunteer to lose!" The buzzer goes off and their 3 minutes are up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Clove Hartwood!" he exclaims. Clove just gives the cameras a smirk and struts back to her seat.

I go up next, and my interview was pretty much just me being hype about being able to kill soon. The audience loved it, they knew that I would give them a good show.

I let my mind wander through the rest of the interviews. Our alliance is made, so why scout for more allies? And I already learned enough about everybody from watching them during training, so I don't have to listen to my enemies' interviews. Except for one; District Twelve's.

I want to puke when I see her twirling around up there like a glittering fool with the crowd going "ooh" and "ahh" all the while. Then she gives everybody the sob story about how she volunteered to save her sister. She thinks showing vulnerability will get her sponsors? Well, think again Katniss.

Her buzzer goes off and the crowd erupts into cheers and applause for the "girl on fire", as they call her after the opening ceremonies. Well you know what? I'm going to put out that fire as soon as I get the chance.

Then her fellow tribute goes and does his interview, and I don't really pay attention, but then I hear him confess his love for Katniss. Everybody in the audience is taken aback by the tragedy that is the star-crossed lovers of District 12, and I freak. At least, I freak on the inside. Peeta just blew us all out of the water! Now the only interview people will care about is his! He's from District 12, no one's supposed to care about them!

I glance over at Clove long enough to see that my fury is mirrored in her eyes. If only the audience knew that they weren't the only lovers in these games… But are we even lovers? I don't know, we're close enough to being lovers… But all that matters right now is that District 12 stole our spotlight, and I'm going to kill them. And I can promise you, I will give the Capitol the best damn show it's ever seen.

Next thing I know, we are all being directed off of the stage and Clove and I get in an elevator with the rest of our alliance – minus Peeta – and we head up to the second floor. Glimmer and Marvel get off first, then Clove and I get off on floor 2 and we head straight for our rooms, we're in no mood for dinner tonight.

On our way, our escort stops us. "Come on, we have to eat so that we can watch the interviews!" Kayval says, but we just glare at her. "Never mind then." she mumbles, and then she scurries away into the dining hall.

Clove turns for her door but I grab her arm and pull her into my room with me. As soon as the door shuts and locks, I grab her waist and crush my lips against hers. In return she grabs the base of my neck and pulls herself deeper into the kiss.

Next thing I know, she drags me over to the bed and I sit down. She sits on top of me and straddles my thighs, now grabbing my hair and kissing me passionately. All of our anger and fury at Katniss and Peeta just provides more fuel for our lust and honestly, being angry never felt so good. If I was confused about our relationship before, well, there's no confusion now.

Everything seems to slip away until it's just Clove and I intertwined on my bed, our lips moving in perfect synchronization. I forget all about the 74th Hunger Games and why I'm here. All I can think about is _her_. Eventually we tear ourselves away from the kiss and just lay there.

Somehow my shirt has ended up on the floor and Clove's dress is torn in a couple of places. She props herself up on her elbow and looks into my eyes, trying hard to fight the smile spreading across her lips. _Damn_, she's hot. She reaches over and fixes a piece of my hair, putting it back into place.

It's hard to believe that this was the same girl who was throwing her knives at me just last night. It's also hard to believe that the first time we've ever really talked to each other was just a few days ago on the train. Our relationship is moving so fast, but what else would you expect from two careers? We live fast and die young, it's what we do.

I look over at thee clock on the wall, "Wow, it's _really_ late." I say. "Good job Captain Obvious, you can tell time!" Clove says sarcastically. We laugh for a bit, and then she asks, "You think Jace or Fallon will flip on us?" "Who says they're going to find out?" I say. "Well if one of them sees or hears me walking back to my room, then we're fucked." She states matter-of-factly. "True… Guess you'll just have to stay here tonight!" I reply. "Guess I will!" she says.

With that we both sit up and she goes and grabs a T-shirt from my closet and changes into it. She turns around to face me and I just eye her with one eyebrow raised quizzically. "Do you expect me sleep in the remnants of my dress?" she asks me incredulously. "Well I wouldn't mind if you did." I say to her. "Ugh, you're such a guy!" she says as she lies down on the bed.

"How is it that you manage to look sexy in a T-shirt?" I ask her as I go to change my pants. When I look back at her she just rolls her eyes, "Get your ass over here and I'll show you just how sexy I can be in a T-shirt." I walk over to her and she pulls me down on to the bed again, moving her lips with mine.

Let's just say that neither of us got much sleep that night.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Sorry that this chapter took so lonf, I've been really busy! Reviews would be greatly appreciated!

And to the guy from the german page: yes, you can translate my story! (sorry, I wasn't able to message you)


	7. The Arena

**Author's Note: So it seems that I have forgotten a bit about the little details in the books and I accidentally wrote the District 10 boy with a bad foot in instead of the District 3 boy. I'm sorry about that! I went back and edited the chapter to be accurate, just for the heads up.**

**Thank you, ArcticMist, for pointing it out!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: The Arena<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Clove:<strong>

You know, I should probably regret staying in Cato's room last night, but I don't. I don't regret not getting enough rest the night before my hunger games. How can I when my body is intertwined with Cato's? I don't believe in Heaven, but if it did exist, this surely has to be the closest thing to it.

I remove my head from his chest and twist my neck upwards to see if he has woken up yet. I am met with his fiery blue eyes smiling down at me. "I should probably go back to my room before Aldric and Floriana come for us." I note, but he just squeezes me tighter to his chest. "Nah, let them think what they want to think." he adds nonchalantly. His cool attitude kind of annoys me; these are the games, you know. But I brush it off; I need to get focused for what's coming for me today in the arena.

There is a rapid knock on the door; probably our stylists coming to take us to our hovercrafts. "_Shit!_" I whisper as I realize that the T-shirt I was wearing last night is now on the other side of the room and I am lying half-naked in bed with Cato. I'm just about to jump out of bed to throw it on, but I'm too late. Floriana and Aldric open the door and step through and then, as I had been expecting, a gasp escapes from their lips. "Oh dear, you two need to get your act together! These are the games, you know." The woman stylist practically shrieked, her face contorted in embarrassment. _Yes, yes, we know. _I thought as I rolled my eyes at her. "Meet us by the elevators in 5 minutes." Aldric said curtly. And with Floriana in tow, he walked out the door just as emotionlessly as he had come.

Cato burst into laughter beside me, "Did you see her face?" he asked in between laughs. "You mean this one?" I mock my stylist, twisting my face to match the emotion of her own. "That's the one!" More laughter; now from the both of us. "Seriously though, let's get our asses out there before they come back for us. I'm _dying _to get these games started already!" I say as I slide out of bed. Cato does the same and opens a drawer to find some clothes.

To our surprise, there are two sets of clothing inside; one for me, and one for Cato. "Well, that's sufficiently awkward." Cato mumbles. I have to agree with him; how did someone know that I was in here unless they came in last night? He throws me the smaller set of clothing and I quickly pull it on. It consists of pants, a long sleeve shirt, thick socks, high boots, and a thin jacket made of some weird isolating material. As soon as it's all on I fast-walk over to my room and grab my district token to take with me into the arena; a necklace my sisters got me on reaping day this year after I volunteered. It's silver and has a small, circular pendant with the words "manere fortis" on it. The words mean "to remain strong" in Latin, or something like that.

I look in the mirror before I go, stroking the pendant between my thumb and pointer finger, and give myself a once-over. Not bad. I tuck the necklace into my shirt and rush over to the elevators, sure that my 5 minutes is up. Cato is already there, so once I join them we all go down the lift to the main floor and board two separate aircrafts. Once ours takes off, Floriana gets to work on my hair, pulling it this way and that.

"This is stupid. Why are you doing my hair? It's just going to get messed up in the arena." I remark with more than a hint of annoyance in my voice. "Well we don't want it to get in the way while you're out there, now do we?" she asks in her sickeningly sweet voice. I just roll my eyes. "It'll be a practical hairdo, I promise." my stylist adds reassuringly. Like it matters; I'm just going to be taking it out after the initial bloodbath at the Cornucopia. I just shut up and let her do what she wants.

After about twenty minutes, Floriana shouts "Tada!" and gives a grand gesture to her artwork in the floor length mirror. I look into the big piece of glass and examine the intricate braids that are pulled back into a ponytail aligned with the tops of my ears. I let out a low growl of sorts and Floriana looks at me, heartbroken. "You… you don't… like it?" she asks, tear welling up in her eyes. Ugh, her feelings are so fragile it sickens me. "It's going to take me _forever_ to take this out tonight." I complain. As soon as she realizes the source of my frustration, she becomes her perky self again, not caring about the inconvenience she just caused me. "Oh well. At least it's pretty enough to get you sponsors." she chimes. That sends me over the edge and I leap out of my chair and stand over her menacingly. "You know what, _Floriana_?" I ask her, spewing the words like venom at her. "It's not about how _pretty_ I am. It's about how many tributes I can _kill_. This isn't a beauty contest, twinkle toes; it's a fight to the death. I don't need _any_ sponsors; I'm a fucking tribute of District 2!" I shout at Floriana with the urge to kill pulsing through my veins. "Understand?" The only thing I get in response from her is a low whimper. I back down from her and stomp over to the couch and plop down onto the soft cushions.

"Ugh, you Capitol freaks disgust me." I mumble. She walks over and sits on the opposite end of the long couch, body turned away from me, chin up in the air. _Gosh, she's such a child._ I can't help but think to myself. _Damn sheltered prisses._

My stomach lets out a long, low growl. "Am I going to have breakfast or am I going to go into the arena on an empty stomach?" I ask her in a cold tone. She continues giving me the silent treatment and pushes a button under the coffee table in front of us, then turns away again. A plethora of foods appear and I dig in, not realizing how hungry I truly was.

When I finish I can feel the hovercraft descending. Adrenaline pumps through my being, ready to go and fight. We arrive at our destination and Floriana and I are escorted by Peacekeepers to the area below my platform. I fumble around with my pendant, anxious to get the games started.

"Go stand on that circle thing; you have about 30 seconds until the platform rises." I do as I am told and find it hard to stand still as a cylinder of some clear material falls around me. Now I'm being risen up to the arena, and my heart beats faster and faster with excitement. This is what I have been training for for almost 4 years.

The platform comes to a stop and the tributes have 60 seconds to get their bearings. I look around slowly, snarling as I do so for the cameras – and to intimidate my competitors. There's a large, open field of tall grass to my left, the Cornucopia and a small lake straight ahead, and a forest of sorts to my right. I plan on heading straight for the Cornucopia and grabbing as many knives as I can, throwing at those who run, because I'm really the only career tribute good with this long distance stuff, other than Cato with his spears.

Blood pumps quicker and quicker behind my ears, my heart races, and adrenaline pulses throughout me now. I get into a take-off position and ready myself. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… _Bong! _The gong is sounded and the bloodbath begins.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

I take off like a rocket and go straight for the Cornucopia. When I get there I quickly scan the array of weapons and grab the first sword I find. I turn abruptly and see a tribute coming at me with a knife raised above her head. I charge and stick her in the gut with my weapon, give it a quick twist, take her knife and go; there's no time to finish the job, but she's not going anywhere judging by her cries of pain.

I see a weedy boy come after me and when he's close enough I swipe my sword and his head falls to the ground, rolling as it goes.

Two small, underfed kids are coming for me now, each with a spear aimed right for me. One throws the weapon but I dodge it agilely. Realizing he's screwed he turns and high-tails it, but I take the small knife in my hand and throw it as best as I can. Knife throwing is clearly not my thing, seeing as though it lands in his right calf, not the base of his skull where I aimed.

Marvel sees the boy struggling to keep running and hits him in the chest with a spear. Good, one less to worry about later.

I turn my attention back to the girl now only a couple of yards away from me with her spear, clearly too heavy for her to hold on to much longer. She falls to the ground about 7 feet away from me and the top of the hill where the Cornucopia lay. I leap into the air and bring my sword down and into her heart. That was enough to kill her, but I chop her head off for good measure and the fun of it.

I step away from my kill and drop my sword and a slow clap breaks out to my left. "What a lovely show you just put on there, Cato!" Clove says in mock amazement. "Just shut up and go get their weapons before the hovercrafts come for their bodies." I add roughly. The alliance disperses and gets their knives, spears, et cetera from the lifeless bodies surrounding us and after about 2 minutes we're all back at the Cornucopia. "Let's wait by the lake so that they can get the bodies; we'll come back for supplies afterwards." I say, taking the leader position in the group.

We walk off to the lake and stand by the shore. As the dead are being picked up, we discuss our kills. "Okay, so how many losers did we get?" Marvel asks. "I got 2." he adds. "Four." I say. "Two." Cloves notes. "One." Glimmer chimes. "I got one, also" Coral states. "So that makes ten. How many did you get, District 12?" I question. "None." I roll my eyes. "Why did we even agree to let him be in the alliance?" I growl. Hey, if he's not going to help, might as well kill him off now. Almost as if she read my thoughts, Clove adds, "Why don't we just kill him now?"

"What about him? Why is he here?" I question, nodding to an ashen skinned, scrawny boy sitting on the ground. "Oh, District 3? He's going to watch our supplies while we go hunting." Marvel states, sounding proud of himself for coming up with the idea. "Yeah? And what is he going to do when someone steals from us? Hop after them? One of us could've stayed behind to watch the supplies, you idiot!" I practically shout, getting in Marvel's face. "He'll have throwing knives with him, just give it a chance Cato." Glimmer says, defending her tribute partner.

I glare from the gimp boy, to Marvel, to Peeta. "Okay, fine. But if I say so, we kill them both; no sense keeping them around if they're not going to help." "Wait, guys, where's Flynn?" Coral says, her voice going higher in pitch with worry. We all just look at the ground, knowing she'll realize it in a few seconds.

Flynn would never leave the alliance, he seemed like a pretty loyal guy. And if he got attacked by a tribute, he wouldn't have been able to scream for help because of his disability. The person who cleaned him of his weapons must've not wanted her to know.

"Oh…" Coral says, wiping a sole tear from her cheek, finally realizing that he's dead. He would've had to die eventually, but still, it hurts when you lose your district partner.

"So that makes eleven dead tributes!" Marvel exclaims, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Twelve more to go." Clove notes in an indifferent tone. She glances at me, then looks away before anybody could notice the exchange. Only on of us was going to make it out. One.

I push those thoughts aside and get down to business. "Okay, all of the bodies are gone, let's go back to Cornucopia and take every last supply and put it in a pile over there." I say, pointing to an open spot just past the shore. "Make two separate piles; one for weapons, and one for everything else. District 12 will sort out the supplies while District 3 keeps watch and the rest of us divvy up weapons. Got it?" Everybody nods in response and heads to the golden horn to start collecting and I turn our newest recruit and jab a finger at him. "Any funny business and you're dead." I spit at him. I don't wait for a response, I just jog off to join the others.

Tonight, we hunt.


	8. The Hunt

**Chapter 8: The Hunt**

* * *

><p><strong>Clove:<strong>

There are two types of killers; those who choose stealth, and those who don't. Cato and I are complete opposites when it comes to this.

I move through the forest like a jungle cat, silently prowling across the forest floor, knives in hand, slinking along when I think I hear a tribute. But Cato, on the other hand, crashes through the foliage, creating a ruckus and sending all living things within a 3 mile radius in the other direction.

We stop for a moment and wait for Peeta to catch up; his stocky build prevents him from running as fast as us, and we hate him for slowing us down. Cato glares at him as he jogs toward our group, panting like a dog on a hot summer day. "We're not finding anybody, we should split up." Cato says in an authoritative tone. I cross my arms. "Well if you and Peeta weren't so loud, maybe we'd have had a few kills by now." I accuse in a hushed tone. "And who had the most kills today?" he rebukes, raising an eyebrow at me. He's trying to put me in my place, but it isn't working. I step forward until my face is only inches away from his. "You may have had the most kills, but killing in broad daylight and hunting at night are two completely different things." Not able to come up with a valid argument, he changes the course of our discussion. "We're splitting up." he says, raising his voice as much as he dares. "Marvel and Glimmer, you go left. Coral and Peeta go straight. Clove and I will head right."

Coral opens her mouth to argue, but is wise enough to decide against it. "The two end groups will circle around to meet up with the center group. If two hours pass and you haven't found the rest of the group, head back to base camp." Cato says. Nods of approval are given and we split up, Cato taking off to the right with me following suit.

After about 30 minutes of running, we find our first tribute of the night hidden in some underbrush. Cato reaches down and pulls the terrified boy upright. The boy starts screaming and I pounce and tackle him to the ground, pinning his arms under my knees and clamping my hand over his mouth. "Make it quick, we have to get moving." Cato says, bored. Reluctantly, I slit his throat with one of my long, slender knives and stand up to face Cato as the boy gurgles and his eyes grow faint. "It's a shame to not put such quality knives to good use." I say as I wipe the weapon clean on the hem of my shirt. The boy's cannon fires, but we ignore it. "You'll have your fun another night, but right now we need to get as many kills in as possible so that we can get rid of our allies soon."

"Well, twelve down, eleven to go."

I allow myself to look at him longingly and wish we were anywhere but here. I try to see if he feels the same way, but his face is unreadable. There's so many things that I want to say, but I can't. We're Careers; we're not supposed to have feelings. Just then, the four words that I have always dreaded come out of his mouth. "We need to talk." My heart races and my head pounds; I suck in a deep breath. "Fine, but let's walk while we do it, we need to cover more ground."

We trudge through the underbrush as the hovercraft comes to retrieve the boy's lifeless body. After a while, Cato turns around abruptly and I step backwards just as quickly, my knife raised to defend myself. A look of hurt crosses his features, but is quickly replaced by anger. "You really think I'd turn on you, Clove?" he accuses. "You know that I care about you too much to do that."

"I'm sorry, okay? I can't let my guard down. Not around the others, and not around you. These are the games, Cato. People are trying to kill us!" I fume, trying hard not to be too loud. He pulls his fingers through his hair and lets out a puff of air.

Before he can speak, I drop my knife and stretch onto my toes to bring my lips to his, and he seems to get the idea. His sword falls to the ground and his lips finally meet mine, and I give in to all of the emotion that I've been holding back and put it all into this kiss. Cato grabs my waist and hoists me up as I wrap my legs around his midsection. I braid my fingers into his tousled blonde hair and crush my lips even harder against his, moving in perfect synchronization. We're two halves of a whole; made for each other.

I feel Cato's feet below me start to move and, next thing I know, I'm being pinned up against what I assume is a tree. His hands run up and down along the length of my body and a shiver runs down my spine. Cato laughs quietly in my ear, his breath tickling the hair there; he must've been aware of the chills that he just gave me. He moves his lips down my neck and I can feel my pulse picking up, my blood pounding in my ears. I find it funny how Cato's kisses give me the same rush of adrenaline that I get from killing. And, much to my pleasure, it looks like I'll be doing a lot of both in the next few weeks to come. I tug on his hair to pull his face back to mine, and our lips interlock again,

Too soon, Cato pulls away. "We need to get going; the others will get… curious." He gives me a wink and a low chuckle. He helps me down from my spot between him and the tree and bends down to whisper in my ear. "I'll race you." he says in a slightly seductive tone. "But aren't we supposed to be hunting tributes?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"We got one, that's good enough, right?"

"And you were the one who was scolding me about getting in as many kills as possible."

He takes off at a sprint, and I follow suit.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

After some sprinting, we meet up with the rest of the Career pack. I'm just about to open my mouth to tell them about our kill, but a light in the distance distracts me. It's a campfire. That idiot tribute might as well have had a big, flashy sign saying "Here I am! Come kill me!" Everybody else turns and sees it too, and I look back to my group. Clove's eyes have a sudden brightness to them, almost as if someone had flipped a switch in her brain; she's ready for the kill.

I nod towards the licks of flame and we take off, charging our prey. When we approach, you can see the fear in the girl's eyes, and she starts to whimper and scurry backwards as fast as she can. She's too slow, however, and my sword pierces the flesh of her chest, and I twist the blade for good measure, a sadistic smile on my face. A blood curdling cry escapes the girl's lips, and I dig the sword deeper into her body.

I yank my weapon out of the dying tribute and wipe it off in the underbrush around me. The screams stop and her eyes roll into the back of her head as she gurgles, trying to breathe with her - now punctured - lungs.

"Twelve down, eleven to go!" Marvel shouts, followed by a round of hoots and hollers from half of the group. Clove just rolls her eyes in that way of hers and says, "Didn't you guys hear the cannon earlier? Cato and I got a kill in before we met up."

"Oh, then, ten to go!" Marvel's comment receives no praise this time, and I change the subject. "We should get going before the body starts stinking." I state. Murmurs of assent are given and we head off towards the lake, ready to turn in for the remainder of the night. Coral is the first to speak up. "Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?"

"I'd say yes, nothing to prevent them from going in immediately." Marvel points out.

"Unless she isn't dead." Glimmer accuses.

"She's dead, I stuck her myself." I say through gritted teeth. How dare they question my ability to kill off a tribute?

"Then where's the cannon?" Glimmer is really pissing me off now. Maybe Clove and I can take her and her stupid partner out now, eliminate some of the "real" competition, if you can even call it that.

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done."

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track her down twice."

"I said she's dead!" I shout, fuming with rage. She'll be dead any second now, I just know it. Or maybe we just didn't hear the cannon? Maybe the cannon isn't working? I'd like to think that one of those assumptions is true.

An argument breaks out and I can't understand a word they are saying. Their words just mesh together, making it impossible to concentrate on just one person.

"We're wasting time! I'll go finish her and let's move on!" Peeta shouts, clearly just as frustrated as I am.

"Go on, then, Lover Boy. See for yourself." I challenge.

Lover Boy is the nick name we gave him, seeing as though he confessed his love for the District 12 girl – Katniss – on national television.

He takes a torch from Coral and stomps off towards the dying girl with his knife in hand while we wait. Once Peeta is out of sight, Clove folds her arms and says in a strained whisper of sorts, "Why don't we just kill him now and get it over with?" She's always been opposed to the idea of having him as an ally, but she isn't thinking ahead. For once, I'm the one who's thinking strategy. Coral decides to put her two cents in. "Let him tag along. What's the harm? And he's handy with that knife." That earns another one of Clove's signature eye rolls. "Besides, he's our best chance of finding her." I add, trying to make the connection click in her head. Marvel butts into the conversation. "Why? You think she bought into that sappy romance stuff?" I shrug. "She might have. Seemed pretty simpleminded to me. Every time I think about her spinning around in that dress, I want to puke."

"Wish we knew how she got that eleven."

"Bet you Lover Boy knows."

We hear Peeta heading back towards us, so we shut our mouths.

"Was she dead?" I ask, with a bit too much curiosity.

"No, but she is now." Peeta says, his head hanging low. Just then, the cannon fires. "Ready to move on?" he asks after letting out a deep sigh.

The six of us run back to base camp in silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Sorry that this is kinda short and that it took so long, finals and musical rehearsal have really been eating up my time! But still, I hope you enjoyed it!


	9. We found you, Girl on Fire

**Chapter 9: We found you, Girl on Fire**

**Clove:**

Two nights ago; that was our latest kill. Since then our nightly hunts have turned out to be failures.

"We're going hunting. Now." Cato demands.

"But it's the afternoon!" Marvel complains.

"Exactly; hunting at night hasn't been done us any good lately, so we're going now, and there's nothing you can do about it." Cato remarks authoritatively.

"I don't have to obey your every command. Heck, I could kill you right now!" Marvel shouts.

I fight the urge to defend Cato and fold my arms across my chest and roll my eyes. "You wouldn't dare." I note. Even if he did try to kill Cato, he would that battle. Marvel may be tall and muscular, but even he looks small in comparison to Cato.

Marvel shrugs his shoulders. "We'll see." he says indifferently.

I welcome the threat to our alliance; the sooner it is broken, the sooner I can win. Suddenly, thoughts of Cato pop into my head. The two of us haven't talked about the predicament we're in and what we're going to do about it. I'm honestly glad that we haven't discussed it; I just want whatever happened between my district partner and I to disappear. But no, I don't get that comfort. I don't know exactly what happened between us, but it changed me. Before last week, the only thing I yearned for was the pleasure of killing; the adrenaline it gave me. But since that night on the train, I've for something different; I've longed for _him._

"We're going to split up again. Sparkles, you go with Clove to the left." Cato begins, snapping me back to reality.

"My name is _Glimmer._" she snarls at him. He ignores her comment and continues.

"Marvel, you'll go with Coral to the right. And Lover Boy and I will go straight. Meet up back here at sundown." he finishes.

I take off at a sprint to left and don't stop running until I've reached the edge of the forest. As I wait for Glimmer to catch up, I can't help but hate myself. How could I think such sappy thoughts? It makes me want to puke. If I wanted to fall in love, I would be anywhere but here. I came here to kill; to be victorious and revel in the glory of winning the Hunger Games.

The District 1 girl finally catches up and I start moving again, but this time at a walk. I figure it's safe enough to spark up a quiet conversation while we're still on the outer edge, so I decide to have some fun.

"God, I hate Cato." I complain.

"Why?" she asks, looking at me quizzically.

"Because he paired me up with you." I take this opportunity to insult her; after all, who knows if I'll ever get this chance again? "He probably only did it because he wanted to stay away from you. I don't blame him, who would want to be paired up with a stupid, shallow priss?" I ask.

She turns to attack me, but I simply step to the side and catch her in the rib with my foot. "Try that again and it'll a knife instead of a foot hitting you." I hiss at her.

Before I can get a reaction from her, both of ours heads snap up and Glimmer scrambles to her feet. There's a smell, and it fills my nostrils and burns the back of my throat. Wait, smoke? "Oh _shit._" I say under my breath. The Gamemakers have set the forest on fire to drive us together.

I pull the collar of my shirt up over my nose and look to see where the flames are coming from. My eyes start to sting and get watery, blurring my vision. I wipe them with my sleeve and see a clear path to safety to my right. I run towards it with Glimmer in the lead. Out of nowhere, a wall of flames jumps up from the ground just a few feet ahead of me, separating me from my ally. I stumble back and try not to panic as I search for another way out of the inferno. The dirty air fills my lungs and threatens to pull me out of consciousness, but I fight it with all my might. There's a small stream a ways to my left, and I sprint towards like my life depends on it because, well, it does.

I jump into the body of water and follow it downstream as fast as my heavy boots will allow me. The water comes up to about mid-calf and I splash through it until I reach its end a minute later. I dunk my head under the water, hoping it will wake me up enough to find a new escape route. I stand back up again and look around, pulling my shirt over my nose again. My chest heaves and I'm getting dizzy; I don't know how much longer it will be until I succumb to the flames.

All around me is fire; the only way out is the way I came. Panic settles in and tears start to well up in my eyes; I can't tell if it's because of the smoke or if it's because I will probably die here. But this is _not _how it's going to end. If I'm going to die, it better be in an epic battle, not due to a lousy fire.

A burst of adrenaline rushes through my veins and I pull myself out of the water and leap through the wall of fire. Where I jumped, the flames had been considerably thin, and I thank my lucky stars for that. I had suffered few injuries from that leap of what I thought was certain death and I hit the ground running. The inferno gets farther and farther away, but I don't stop running.

I stumble through the forest, not looking back to see if the flames are chasing me. Eventually, I fall, and I can't bring myself to sit upright. I lay coughing and gagging for a good five minutes until I hear heavy footsteps approaching me.

"Put your spear down, you idiot. It's Clove." Coral says to who I'm guessing is Marvel. I'm too weak to turn over and look at them, so I just lay there until they reach me.

Two hands reach down and pull me up to sit against a tree. I really hate being man handled, but right now it's probably my only option. I look up and see Cato's eyes boring into mine. He looks at me with a look of concern, but puts on an emotionless mask when the others approach.

Coral assesses my wounds as Cato reaches into my pack a few feet away and throws me my water bottle.

"What happened?" Marvel asks

"What do you think, dumbass?" I retort. Could he seriously not tell that I had just almost died in a fucking fire?

"Look! Over there!" Glimmer shouts.

We all snap our heads in the direction Glimmer is pointing to and a tribute look at us, then take off running, her dark brown braid bobbing behind her.

Katniss' dark brown braid.

"You fucking idiot! She heard you!" I shout at her.

The six of us take off after the girl from District 12, and after a while, we reach a clearing. We run right up to the base of the tree Katniss has scrambled up and wait at the bottom.

We found you, Girl on Fire.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

After days of searching, we finally caught her.

She smiles down at us. "How's everything with you?" She calls down cheerfully from her perch 20 feet up the tree.

Well that was unexpected. I was so sure she'd be cowering in the branches, begging for us to spare her life.

"Well enough. Yourself?" I ask her indifferently.

"It's been a bit warm for my taste." she adds.

Well you don't say.

"The air's better up here. Why don't you come up?" She asks, challenging me.

Challenge accepted. "Think I will."

"Here, take this, Cato." Glimmer says, shoving the bow and arrows in my face.

"No, I'll do better with my sword." I have just hoisted myself into the tree when Katniss starts to climb again. A sharp, cracking sound fills my ears and I fall to the ground hard, hitting a few branches on my way down. "Dammit!" I shout. We finally get her, but we can't kill her.

Glimmer tries next, and she scales the tree until the branches start to crack under her feet. Katniss is probably eighty feet up now, and there is no way Glimmer is going to be able to shoot her down. One of the arrows gets lodged into the tree and the District 12 girl grabs and waves it teasingly above Glimmer's head.

Glimmer climbs back down the tree and we regroup.

"We can't just leave her here, we have to do something, and it's almost twilight." Marvel comments.

Coral, Clove and I glare at him. "No shit, dumbass." Clove spits at him.

"Well what do you suppose we do?" Coral asks with frustration.

We all start to talk over one another, arguing over what our next move should be.

"Oh, let her stay up there. It's not like she's going anywhere. We'll deal with her in the morning." Peeta says harshly.

The other five of us mumble signs of agreement and set up camp around the base of the tree.

"I'll take first watch." Clove says.

She leans herself up against the tree and the rest of us nod off to sleep.

* * *

><p>What I assume is a few hours later, I wake up and offer to take Clove's spot.<p>

"Okay." she says.

I sit down next to her, but she doesn't move, so I decide that now's a good time to talk. There's no easy way to say it, so I just blurt it out.

"You know that if it comes down to us, I'm still going to kill you, right?" I ask her.

"I was hoping you'd say something like that." she admits.

"And I expect you to fight to the death; don't just give up because it's me fighting you." I add. I turn my head to look at her, trying to see what's going on in that head of hers.

"Now that's a promise I know I can keep." Clove responds, turning to face me and smiling at me.

It's weird; the way we're talking sounds like we could be discussing the weather or something trivial, but in reality, we're sealing each other's doom.

"It doesn't change my feelings for you, though." I say even quieter than before.

A few different emotions cross her features, but I don't know exactly how to interpret them.

"How can you say that? Saying 'Hey, I have feelings for you, but I'm going to try my best to kill you anyway' kinda changes things, Cato." she says with frustration.

"Do you think we would kill each other if we had the choice? No. We're being forced to. Yes, it'll hurt me more than you'll ever know if I have to kill you, but we need this. We both have things at stake back in District 2 that we can't forget about. So until the time comes for us to fight, I don't think it changes what I feel for you."

She just bores her eyes into mine, letting the words sink in. I came here to avenge my uncle, who was killed by a District 12 tribute in the second Quarter Quell. I even remember his killer's name; Haymitch Abernathy. Haymitch is probably Katniss' and Peeta's mentor, which makes me hate them even more. I'm also here to avenge my parents, who both committed suicide. I'm also here to make a better life for my two sisters, my brother and I.

Clove came here to end the abuse of her and her two sisters by her dad. He would slash them on the arm with his knife every year one of them didn't volunteer for the Hunger Games. If Clove loses the Games, he'll just go back to harming them.

There's a reason that we've trained all these years, and we can't forget about that reason just because have feelings for each other.

She cups the side of my face with one of her hands and kisses me. Gently at first, but the passion builds like a fire within the two of us and soon enough our lips are crushing against each other's.

I put my hand on her hip and she winces. I break the kiss and look down to see that the fire had given her first and second degree burns. I assess the damage and try my best to treat her wounds; her shirt is now cut off just above her hips, exposing a few burns here and there across her torso.

"You need to take off your shirt." I tell her. She obeys and casts her shirt and jacket to the side, leaving her in her sports bra. My eyes linger on the three thin, pink scars running down the length of her upper left arm. I caught a glimpse of them on the train, but I've never seen their entirety. They look like they were pretty deep, and I can't imagine how it didn't damage the muscle there. I guess that's why she favors her right arm.

"So, how bad is it, _doctor_?" Clove jokes.

"Well you have some first and second degree burns, but we can't treat them until we get back to our supplies at the lake."

"Eh, I can manage." she says nonchalantly.

She braids her fingers into my hair and pulls my lips to meet hers. Somehow she ends up lying on the ground and I'm propping myself up above her. Her tongue brushes against my teeth and it sends chills down my spine. Being careful not to agitate her burns, I pull both of us up into a sitting position and Clove places herself on top of me, her legs around my torso.

I lightly drag my teeth across her ear lobe and she shivers. I continue to kiss my way down her neck and back up to her lips with my hands tangled into her hair.

Some time passes and we both hear one of the other Careers stir in their sleep. Trying to keep our cover, we quickly disentangle ourselves and Clove puts her shirt and jacket back on and goes to set up her sleeping gear somewhere near mine. Once she's in her sleeping bag, I go and wake up Glimmer.

I lightly kick her leg. "Hey, Sparkles, get up; your turn to watch for tributes." I say tiredly. She yawns and slumps over to the tree and takes a seat, fighting to keep her eyes open. I splash her with some water from the nearest bottle.

"Wake up. If you fall asleep on your shift, you'll have hell to pay." I threaten.

With that, I walk back over to my spot by Clove and crawl into my sleeping bag. She risks the chance of exposing our relationship (if you can call it that) and breaks the barrier between us by extending her hand. I surprise myself and take her hand in mine. Yeah, sure, Clove and I have done almost everything but hold hands, but this feels more intimate than those other times. This proves that, however sick and twisted our relationship may be, we truly care about each other. And, if I won't say it out loud, I'll at least admit it to myself; I love her.

I love Clove Hartwood.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> I literally sat here for four hours straight writing this, so I really hope you liked it! Reviews would be lovely, either here or in my ask box at .com


	10. Thanks for the gift, Katniss

**Chapter 10: Thanks for the Gift, Katniss**

**Clove:**

There's a loud thump, followed by a chorus of shouts and buzzing creatures. Something stings my shoulder.

My eyes snap open, sensing the danger right in front of me. A black and gold figure flashes across my vision, and I run like hell. There isn't any time to waste; Tracker Jackers are vicious muttations that the Capitol conjured during the Dark Days and are very, _very_ deadly.

"To the lake! To the lake!" One of the Careers is shouting.

I sweep my gaze back and forth, trying to find the others. Marvel is to my left and Cato is a few yards behind me. The three of us try desperately to avoid the oncoming muttations, but it's no use. I get stung again; first in my lower back, then on my upper left arm by my scars, and lastly on my right thigh.

My muscles scream in exhaustion and my burns from yesterday send a different kind of burning sensation throughout my being. And as I run the lake comes into vision; but it isn't the lake, it's a giant pool of blood. Maimed bodies wash up the shore and I run straight to them; my curiosity killing me. They are destroyed almost beyond recognition, but there's something there…

The deep green, bubbling sky makes it hard to see, but it's them. It's Atonia and Piper. My legs shake and I fall to the ground as thousands upon thousands of ants crawl out of their mouths and noses and onto me. Their legs tickle my body and I scream; I scream out of fear and rage. The trees around me turn to flames and start walking towards me. The _flaming trees_ are_ walking_ towards me! I curl up into the fetal position and cover my ears with my hands as someone's arms envelope me.

"Clove! Clove!" shouts a deep, menacing voice.

I look up into my captor's eyes; my father's eyes. I thrash wildly in his hands; the hands that all too willingly physically scarred me for life.

The trees are closing in, their fire already consuming the lifeless bodies of my loved ones. I can't help it, the tears stream down my face and my body is riddled with sobs. My father's free hand comes down on me and I reach for my knife, but my arms won't move. I'm paralyzed. My vision goes blurry and the last things I see before I slip out of consciousness are the flaming trees engulfing my vision.

* * *

><p>I awake in a cold swear and open my eyes groggily and try to get my bearings; I actually made it to the lake, but it isn't full of blood. My sister's bodies and the ants are gone, the trees aren't on fire anymore, the sky is a light blue again and my father is nowhere in sight.<p>

"Clove, you're okay!" Cato exclaims from his perch on a rock a couple yards away. He rushes over and composes himself before he sits down; clearly, he has more feelings for me than he let on.

"I removed the stingers from your skin as soon as I got to you. After you went under I went back after I heard Peeta telling Katniss to run; I slashed him in the leg, and I assume he'll be dead in a few days." He informs me

"Wait, why aren't you stung?" I ask.

"Oh, I am. I got two stings to the back; the venom just took a little longer to kick in for me."

"Oh."

"And I fixed up your burns, they should be better by now."

I stand up and stretch, testing his theory. My burns, in fact, do feel a _lot_ better. "Where are Glimmer, Coral and Marvel?" I ask. I honestly hope that they're all dead. Well, maybe not Coral, I liked her; but still, they'll all have to go eventually.

"Marvel's somewhere around here, but Coral and Glimmer died from the Tracker Jackers." Cato informs me. "How many does that leave?"

"Nine maybe?" I'm actually starting to lose track.

I look up into Cato's eyes and see something a bit… off. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"The other day, when you were hallucinating, I wanted to protect you, but I couldn't. It was heartbreaking to witness, Clove. And during your little episode, you started shouting at me, and you thought I was your father." He pauses for a moment, sorting his thoughts. "It's just… I was wondering if it was more than a hallucination, if you actually compare me to him."

I'm about to speak, but I don't know what to say, so I just stand there looking like a fool. It's true; when I think about it, his bipolar behavior and anger outbursts _do _remind me of my dad's…

Cato closes the space between us and grabs my upper arms with his hands, avoiding the large lump the Tracker Jackers left. "I don't want us to spend our last days in fear of each other. I would never hurt you like he did, Clove. I mean, yes, if it comes down to it I will try to kill you; but that's only because there's nothing you or I can do about it."

"Let's just forget about it, okay?" I say with annoyance.

I don't like talking about my feelings; it makes me feel weak. The weak are the ones who lose, and I didn't come here to lose; I came here to win.

Marvel emerges from the foliage with the nerd from District 3 and Cato releases his grip on me immediately; thankfully, Marvel doesn't notice.

"I… I…" the small, ashen skinned boy stutters.

"Spit it out, kid!" Cato practically shouts

The boy jumps, fear plastering his face; "I set up a trap around the supplies while you guys were unconscious. I took the bombs from the starting pads, placed them around the supplies, and reactivated them." District 3 says frantically.

"Then how are _we _supposed to get to them?" Cato asks with a hint of frustration.

"You just have to step in the right place. Here, I'll show you!"

The boy runs off with Cato and Marvel at his heels while I follow behind at a distance. I shake my head; the boy's an idiot. We're going to kill him in a few days, so why is he trying so hard? It's amazing, the things people will do to save their skin for just one more day.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

There is a loud boom, and the earth starts to quiver below my feet.

Clove's head snaps up from a trail she was following, "What was that?"

I open my mouth to speak but am cut off by more explosions, and it gets harder to stay upright. Our eyes lock for a split second and we dash for the Cornucopia; someone tried to take our supplies.

The sound is deafening and every bone in my body tells me to run in the opposite direction, but I fight that instinct and push forward. The District 3 boy said that when one went off, it wouldn't trigger the others. Clearly, he had been wrong, and there is no _way_ our supplies can survive this.

The explosions are finished by the time we reach the remnants of our supply pyramid. Nothing is salvageable. Nothing.

"Where's the body?" Marvel asks angrily.

There four of us kick through the sooty remains and come up empty; I turn to the boy from 3.

"You said that this wouldn't happen, but it did! And there isn't even a dead tribute to show for it!" I fume.

"Ma… ma… maybe we just didn't hear the cannon?" the scrawny boy stutters.

"Oh, we're going to hear a cannon all right." I say with a sadistic smile.

His eyes glaze over with fear and he opens his mouth to protest, but I am too fast. I take his neck in my hands and give it a sharp twist. His lifeless body falls to the ground and I stomp over to what used to be our supplies, kicking and shouting.

I am beyond furious, I am my own inferno; a natural disaster ready to claim lives with open arms. I want them dead. I want them _all _dead. But most of all, I want Katniss. She did this; she turned the Games around on us. And she _will_ pay. "Now what are we supposed to do?" I fume.

Clove takes a deep breath, trying to keep a level head, "We'll have to hunt."

"We hunt people; not animals!" I shout at her.

She unleashes a fury that matches my own and shouts back, "Does it look like we have an option?" She regains some of her composure and steps closer to me, so close that our bodies almost brush up against each other, and she glares at me with stern eyes. "There's some food left in our packs and we have our weapons. We are _not _losing the games due to starvation!" she hisses.

Marvel finally speaks up, "I think it's time we split up."

Clove steps back and moves her icy stare from Marvel, to me, and back again. "I couldn't agree more."

Marvel picks up his pack and spears and disappears into the cover of the woods.

"At least he's gone." Clove breathes.

I ignore her comment and bring up the topic of the girl that turned the games around on us; Katniss. "Next time we see her, she's mine."

She immediately refuses to accept my demand, "No way, _I _get to kill that bitch."

We stare each other down, neither one of us caving and giving the other the pleasure of killing the Girl on Fire.

Clove pulls a long, dainty knife from inside of her jacket and brushes the side of the blade against her fingers. "If you let me have her, I promise that I'll give a good show." she says, looking at me through long eyelashes.

"Fine. But only if you can beat me to it." I compromise.

She nods and smirks as she says, "Well then, let's go for a hunt."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: It's rather short, but I figured that the sooner that this got out, the better for my readers. I'm sorry that updating has taken me so long, I've been really busy with my honors classes and musicaland such. I'll update soon, though! Hope you enjoy!<strong>


	11. The Game Changer

**Chapter 11: The Game Changer**

**Clove:**

A lot has happened in the past few days. Somebody killed Katniss' pathetic little ally, Rue. And, much to my pleasure, Marvel had also met his demise. Most recently, however, Cato and I decided to break our alliance.

We had said that it'd be easier this way, since the end of the games is quickly approaching. There wasn't much to it; we simply divvied up supplies and went our separate ways without exchanging any words. It would've been pointless, since we both already know what the other would say. It'd probably be something along the lines of "Don't die." or "See you in Hell."

Leaving Cato wasn't supposed to hurt this much; it should've been easy for me to cut our ties, but it wasn't. It isn't. I miss our pointless bickering and empty threats; I miss having his arms around me, and stealing kisses in the cover of night.

_Focus, Clove, focus. _I think to myself as I lay in the underbrush. _You can't afford to have emotions._ I take a deep breath and think strategy; _there are six of us left. If I was a scared tribute, where would I hide? _

The snap of a twig breaks the eerie silence of the night, answering my question. My hand immediately goes for my favored knife – a slender, intricate little beauty – and I peer through the foliage to see what lurks ahead. My vision is tinted green because of my night vision goggles, but I can clearly see the tribute standing a few feet away. Their hood is up, so I can't tell who it is, but they're pretty big, so it's a good thing that I have the element of surprise on my side.

I pounce like a jungle cat attacking her prey, and I land on the back of the now startled tribute. I wrap my legs around their torso and hold my knife up to their throat, poised to kill. The person's hand flies to mine and grabs hold of it, restraining it and my knife. Their other hand reaches back, grabs the back of my jacket, and flings me over their shoulder to the ground with a grunt.

For a short moment, I catch a glimpse of the tribute's face; Cato's face. My eyes suddenly flood with tears as the reality of what I'm trying to do strikes me. But no matter how terrible it is; it must be done.

I spring from the ground and turn to face Cato. We stare each other down, walking slowly in a circle, sizing each other up. He knows my weakness; my left arm. It's not my throwing arm, but still, I have to protect it. Secondly, he knows that I keep my knives inside my jacket. If he gets hold of my knives, it's lights out for me.

Cato makes the first move, swiping his sword down by my legs. I jump over it with ease; clearly he was just testing the waters. Next, as predicted, he goes to slash at my left arm. I'm prepared for the move, however, and duck, springing back up to slice the arm his sword is in with my knife as the momentum he created forces him to move his arm the opposite direction.

He doesn't even wince, he just continues to what I assume is his Plan B.

Cato drops his sword and starts throwing punches and kicks. I avoid a left hook and an uppercut to the jaw, but I can't escape from the jab to my stomach.

I recoil from the blow and fight the urge to curl up in a ball and clutch my midsection. Instead, I remind myself of why I am here; _Piper; Atonia. _ I repeat the words over and over in my head as I fight until nothing else matters but getting home to them._ Piper. Atonia._

The fire building up inside of me reaches its peak as I let my knife clatter to the forest floor and attack Cato with a series of martial arts moves.

I falter for a second and stop in my tracks after connecting my foot with his midsection. Am I really so heartless that I can motivate myself to kill Cato? All thoughts of my sisters fade as thoughts of him cloud my mind. A few tears spill over the rims of my eyes; killing Cato would be like killing somebody I love. _No, _I think to myself; _killing him would be killing somebody I love._

I realize what a big mistake my hesitation was as he swiftly picks his weapon up from the ground and charges me, knocking me to the ground as I quickly grab an array of knives from my jacket and hold them to his heart.

"One more move and you're dead." I pant between breaths.

"I might say the same about you." he says, holding his sword up to my throat.

I don't know what to do. Everything that I had ever learned in training escapes my brain, leaving me to stare into Cato's deep blue eyes as a few more tears fall down the sides of my face. Seconds pass and I realize that Cato is starting to tear up, too, but is doing a better job at hiding it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Claudius Templesmith's voice booms throughout the arena. "There has been a rule change! Any two tributes from the same district that are the last two standing will be the victors!"

The words should've sent relief flooding through me, and I should be entwined in Cato's arms right now, but I only tighten my grip on my knives, and he does the same to his sword.

After a short pause, Claudius repeats himself.

I can't believe it. They _never _change the rules. The change is probably meant for the damn star-crossed lovers of District 12, but it applies to Cato and I too, right?

Cato tosses his sword to the side and pushes my handful of knives away, and I release my grip on them. Still on top of me, he caresses the sides of my face with his hands and crushes his lips against mine.

Tears trickle down my face as I kiss him back with more passion than ever before.

I get to keep him. Neither of us will have to die. I get to have a future.

We'll both survive.

My sisters will be safe from my father, and Cato can finally help what remains of his family.

A thousand different scenarios flash through my head at once; all of them about the life we can have together back in District 2.

Of course, there are still four other tributes left, but who could ever win a fight against the two of us?

I completely forget about the world around me and allow all of my energy to go into this kiss. Every touch sends adrenaline pulsating through my veins; every kiss sends shivers up my spine.

_I could get used to this._ I think to myself.

**Cato:**

That night, Clove and I make camp in a nearby clearing and fall asleep in each other's arms, not wanting to ever let go again.

I awake in the early hours of the morning, long before the sun is ready to rise. Apparently I'm not the only one, and Clove groggily opens her eyes and turns her head to face me.

"Sorry for trying to… kill you." she says apologetically, hesitating to say the last two words.

"We did what we had to do." I add indifferently. But in reality, nothing hurt me more than fighting in hand-to-hand combat with Clove. I haven't really admitted it to myself yet, but it's time to face the truth; I love her. And right now, I would do _anything_ to get us back home to District 2.

The 74th Annual Hunger Games have been pretty tough on the two of us. I mean, how many people can say that they found love in a fight to death? And then have actually had to try to kill that person? As far as I know, there have been 4. But I'm pretty sure that Lover Boy and the Girl on Fire haven't spent any time trying to kill each other yet, so really it's just Clove and I.

_This is one fucked up relationship. _ I think as I lightly stroke Clove's hair with my hand.

"Do you think they'll announce the Feast today?" I wonder.

"I hope so, because I haven't had a kill in days." she remarks.

She winces as she turns herself completely around in our sleeping bag to face me, and a pang of guilt hits me in the chest.

"Where did I hit you?" I ask worriedly.

"It's nothing. Seriously, I'm fine."

"Clove," I say, lifting her chin so I can look into her eyes, "it's _not_ fine. Now where did I hit you?"

She rolls her eyes, but she finally gives in and tells me what's wrong. "It's the jab to my stomach that got me." Clove says.

"I'm so sorry, Clove. I…"

"We did what we had to do." she adds, cutting me off. "What about you? I cut you pretty deep last night."

"It's manageable." I say.

She pushes my sleeve out of the way and takes off the bloodied bandage on my upper left arm. My newest battle wound – a deep cut in the form of a long, straight line – had stopped bleeding and was already beginning to form a light pink scar.

"We have matching scars now." she adds as she adjusts my sleeve.

I kiss the top of her head and pull her closer to me, holding her tightly. One of us almost lost the other for good last night, and the thought of it terrifies me. Now that the both of us can make it out alive, I might as well admit that if she died, part of me would have died, too. I still would've killed her if there wasn't a rule change, but it wouldn't have been without a heavy heart.

Clove drifts back to sleep, and the sound of her steady breathing sends me off to sleep, too.

Soon enough, we'll be together with our families in the Victor's Village of District 2, and it's that thought that keeps me going; I'm ready for these games to end.


	12. The Feast

**Chapter 12: The Feast**

**Clove:**

"We're going to starve."

"You're point?"

"We need to do something, Cato!"

"Well it isn't that easy, Clove."

My bad temper gets out of hand and I explode. "Have you ever even _tried_? Hunting humans and hunting animals can't be all that different!" I shout at him.

His blue eyes start to harden and he looks down at me, frustration and anger seeming to radiate from within. "It's completely different!" he yells. After a few deep breaths, he speaks again. "Yeah, we can kill things. So what? That doesn't mean that we know _where_ to stab them without ruining any meat, how to skin them, or how to cook them!" Cato says with less fury.

"So we're just going to throw in the towel? Call it quits? Cato, that is _not _how we were raised!" I fume. "How do you think your brother and sisters will feel when they see you give up like that? How will your uncle and your parents feel? Because I know that my sisters will be pretty damn disappointed, and I'm sure that the same goes for you."

A hurt look crosses his features, but is quickly replaced by a familiar look of anger. "I would _never_ give up on them." he hisses.

"Well it sure looks like you are! If we aren't going to try to save ourselves from starvation, then we aren't trying to win these games, now are we?"

Almost as if on cue, the sound of trumpets signals a new announcement from Claudius Templesmith. "Ahem, I would like to cordially invite the remaining six of you tributes to a Feast at the Cornucopia at dawn."

I freeze; I completely forgot about the Feast! Cato is about to speak when Claudius comes back on over the loudspeaker; "Now hold on, some of you may already be declining my invitation. But this is no ordinary Feast. Each of you needs something desperately. Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance."

"I told you that we didn't need to hunt." Cato says cockily.

"You better watch it! Get too smart with me and I'll bring my knives into the equation."

"You would never hurt me."

"I wouldn't test that theory." I warn him. "And didn't I try to hurt you the other night, before Claudius's first announcement?" I add, proving him wrong.

"Come on, we're wasting time." he says. And with that, we run the short distance back to our camp to pack our weapons. Without exchanging a word, we both know what we're going to do; we're going to spend the night by the Cornucopia and wait for the Feast at dawn.

Once we're done packing, I nod to Cato and we run off towards the Cornucopia.

* * *

><p>Later that night, we're lying in some underbrush by the Cornucopia with our night goggles on. The lull of chirping crickets almost makes me fall asleep.<p>

"Do you think that the Gamemakers are making it colder in the arena?" I ask through chattering teeth.

"They must be." Cato says, pulling me closer.

Even through my heat-conserving jacket, the cold of the night chills me to the bone. But somehow, I nod off to sleep.

* * *

><p>I wake up just before dawn, wrapped up in Cato's arms. It's a good thing that I have him, because I would've frozen without him.<p>

A table slowly rises from the ground a few yards away from the mouth of the Cornucopia, and I nudge Cato to wake him up. I turn onto my stomach and peer through the foliage; there are four backpacks. A small orange one labeled 12, a medium sized red one labeled 5, and two large black ones labeled 2 and 11.

The table stops rising. "Should we wait for someone else to go for it?" I question.

Before Cato can answer my question, a tribute bursts from inside of the Cornucopia, grabs their pack, and runs for it, their red hair flying behind them.

"Get her, Cato!" I hiss. But he is already way ahead of me, sword in hand and about to stand up. As he is about to leave, I grab his arm and look into his eyes. No words are said, but we both know that this is the only goodbye we'll get out of each other. Not that I plan on dying while he's gone, it's more of a 'just in case' kind of thing.

Seconds later, he sprints after the girl from 5, leaving me to deal with the others.

I take a deep breath and my favorite knife – the slender, dainty one – and wait for Thresh or Katniss to come out into the open. Much to my pleasure, Katniss is the next one to make a move. I smile to myself at the fact that she will be my kill; _not _Cato's.

She dashes towards the table, and I silently, but quickly, trail after her. After Katniss grabs her orange backpack and pivots around to leave, I skillfully flick one of my knives at her, slicing her forehead. Blood gushes over her brow and seems to blur her vision, because she aims her bow and arrow and misses completely. I pounce, slamming into the girl and knocking her flat on her back, pinning her shoulders with my knees.

"Where's your boyfriend, District 12? Still hanging on?" I ask.

"He's out there now. Hunting Cato." she snarls and screams, "Peeta!"

I jam my fist into her windpipe, shutting her up and look around, paranoid.

"Liar." I grin. "He's nearly dead. Cato knows where he cut him. You've probably got him strapped up in some tree while you try to keep his heart going. What's in the pretty little backpack? That medicine for Lover Boy? Too bad he'll never get it." I open my jacket and grab another one of my favored knives – one with a curved blade. "I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show."

Katniss squirms under me, but I hold on tighter. "Forget it, District Twelve. We're going to kill you. Just like we did your pathetic little ally… what was her name? Rue? Well, first Rue, then you, and I think we'll just let nature take care of Lover Boy. How does that sound?" I ask. "Now, where to start?"

I carelessly wipe away the blood from her wound and tilt her head back and forth, determining where to begin. Finally, I get to play with my kill and savor the moment. She tries to bite my hand, but I grab the hair on top of her head and force her back to the ground.

"I think…" I ponder. "I think we'll start with your mouth." I teasingly trace the outline of her lips with the tip of my blade.

She stares me down the whole time, but I ignore her. Her stares aren't going to do any good against my knives.

"Yes, I don't think you'll have much use for your lips now. Want to blow Lover Boy one last kiss?" I ask.

District 12 spits in my face, and I lose it. "All right then, let's get started." As I bring the knife down into her skin, a rush of pleasure courses through me. Suddenly, I am plucked into the air. I start to flail like the helpless creature I have become, and in doing that, I have put a name and face to my captor; Thresh. He flips me around and flings me to the ground.

"What'd you do to that little girl? You kill her?" he shouts.

I'm scrambling backward on all fours, and I can't help but notice the large rock in his hand. "No! No, I –" I lose it, finally realizing what the rock is for.

"Cato!" I screech. "Cato!"

"Clove!" I hear Cato call in the distance, but he's too far away to come to my rescue.

The rock comes down hard on my skull and my world fades to black.

* * *

><p><strong>Cato:<strong>

Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong.

I pivot sharply and sprint for the Cornucopis, completely dropping the chase of the girl from 5. When the Cornucopia comes into sight, all I can see is her. Clove is sprawled on the ground with a large dent in her skull, but she isn't bleeding. It doesn't even register with me that our pack is gone until later, seeing as though I have bigger things to worry about.

I stop in my tracks. "Clove." I breathe, tears starting to trickle down my cheeks. I run over to her and fall to my knees, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Clove..." I say quietly, trying to suppress the tears now streaming down my face.

"Cato!" she manages with a weak voice, looking around blindly.

I grab her hand and hold it against my cheek.

"Stay with me." I beg. "Don't do this to me, Clove!"

Tears start to spill over the rims of her lids. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." her voice trails off, and it's as if she's slowly slipping from my grasp. I hold on to her tighter, dropping her hand.

"We were supposed to be victors! We were supposed to go back to District 2 and help our families! We were supposed to be together!"

"I can't, Cato. I can't..." Her eyes flutter closed and her breathing becomes shallow.

"Don't leave, please, don't leave." I whimper.

The cold shock of realization hits me like a kick to the chest. It's futile; she can't be saved.

"I'll win for us, Clove. I swear I will." I say, my voice rising in anger at the person who did this to her.

"Don't forget about my sisters." she says, slipping deeper into unconsciousness.

"I love you." I admit. I've known it since the night before the tracker jacker attack, and maybe even before then. I just had to tell her before she left me for good.

"I… I…" she breathes.

Before she can finish her sentence, the cannon sounds. Her cannon. Until now, I hadn't associated that sound with pain and suffering. But now it feels like a bullet in my heart. It echoes in my head, slowly draining me of my sanity.

I'm sobbing now, clutching Clove's lifeless body to my chest. Cries of pain and agony escape my lungs. I'm holding nothing back now. Let Panem see how emotionally attached to Clove I am. Was. Let them see the real me; I am more than a killing machine, I am Cato Eeron.

It takes all of my strength to leave her there, but somehow I manage to do it. I kiss her forehead one last time and pull myself away from the scene, back towards camp.

* * *

><p>I'm shaking as I tear up the area, throwing tents, weapons, and empty packs this way and that.<p>

There is only one tribute that had the strength to dent her skull like that; Thresh. I want him dead. I want Thresh to suffer, to get down on his knees and beg for his life.

My pain and agony is replaced by an overwhelming bloodlust. I let out a growl of rage and adrenaline starts to pulsate through me. I grab my sword and take thunderous steps out of the forest.

I _will_ find Thresh. And there will be _no _mercy.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Sorry that this took so long, I had musical and such. But now musical's over, so I can focus on writing again! Reviews would be lovely!

Also, thanks to the guy from the german page! I edited this chapter as soon as I read it, because you're right, the dialogue between clove and Cato while she was dying was too short! I hope that this is better!


	13. Revenge

I searched for days through the torrential downpour for Thresh until finally, there was only one place left to look – the field.

"Come out come out, wherever you are." I say in a sing-song voice.

The dark of night covers the arena like a thick blanket, making it hard to see. The rain pounds on the grassy floor like a drum. He'll never see – or hear – me coming.

My patience wears thin, and I can almost feel my sanity wash away with the rain.

"Where are you?" I shout into the sky. "Show yourself!"

With a sound that is more of a growl than a grunt, I hurl my sword into the barren field lying before me. My vision is tinted red with bloodlust and anger; feelings that I have been carrying for days now. My head snaps wildly back and forth, looking for any sign of the brute.

"Oof!"

A familiar sadistic smile spreads across my features as I race towards the sound; I'm drawn to it like a predator is drawn to his prey. And tonight, that prey is Thresh. I peer through the darkness and can see him lying on the ground. I can see the rain bouncing off of my sword just a few feet away, and it doesn't take a genius to see that he had gotten hit with my sword. I grab the tribute by the shirt and yank him upright.

"Do you know how long I've been searching for you?" I shout, inches from his face. He remains unfazed. "Days. I have scoured the arena for days in this torrential downpour trying to find you, and I sure as hell am going to make this worth the wait." I snarl.

I toss the District 11 tribute to the ground and give a mighty kick straight to his skull. He rises, grabbing a spiked club to his right and swings at me. I duck swiftly, and bring my sword down on his thigh. The hulking boy doesn't topple over, however, and takes another swing. This time, it's for my left arm. I cringe as the weapon makes contact with my flesh, the warm blood trickling down my sleeve. I'm overcome with an animalistic need for the kill, and I howl furiously, slashing my sword this way and that.

In my rampage, only a few things register with me; blood curdling screams of pain, sore muscles, the rain pounding on my back, tears streaming down my face, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. I stop for a moment and look at hat I've done. Thresh is maimed, but he's not dead yet. Clove still needs to be avenged.

"You killed her!" I roar. A clap of thunder sounds in the distance. "You killed her." I say weakly this time, my grief now overtaking me.

Thresh lies in pieces – a limb here, a limb there – but somehow, he is still holding on. I fall to my knees in a pool of his blood.

"Who's to say that you have the right to live while she died?" I bellow. "Who's to say that she deserved to have her life ended? Who's to say that you're any better than her?" I yell. "WHO?" I bellow.

I get in Thresh's face – or, what was his face – and glare into his unseeing eyes. "You may have suffered ten fold of what you put Clove through, but it will never be enough." I spit in his face.

I watch him flail like a fish out of water, soaking up every moment of it, until his canon finally goes off, hardly distinguishable from the booming thunder overhead. I grab my sword and leave the bloodied scene, not knowing what I'll do next.

Soon enough, the hovercraft drops in and carries Thresh away, piece by piece. I don't look back; I just keep soldiering on through the mud and rain. That is, until I trip over a large object. I look at my feet and find two large packs, and I search through them eagerly. One is empty, but the other contains food, a first aid kit, and some sort of body suit. I quickly bandage my arm, grab the pack, and stumble out of the field and back to the forest.

* * *

><p>I awake in a cold sweat. For the past two days, every time I would go to sleep, I'd have the same dream. A dream where Thresh's death is on repeat in my head, but instead of Thresh, my victim is Clove. I wipe the tears from my eyes and redress my wounds on my left arm. Right where Clove's are. Were.<p>

The thought sends memories flooding back.

_She pushes my sleeve out of the way and takes off the bloodied bandage on my upper left arm. My newest battle wound – a deep cut in the form of a long, straight line – had stopped bleeding and was already beginning to form a light pink scar._

"_We have matching scars now." she adds as she adjusts my sleeve._

Tears spring back to my eyes as I remember those nights we spent together, entwined in each other's arms. I had her, and she had me. We were much more than a couple; we were a team. But I failed her. I let her die.

I turn to the newly attained pack by my side and search through the rest of its contents. Thankfully, there's a good amount of food in there, and I immediately open a packet of food and scarf it down; I haven't eaten in at least a day.

After my meal, I finish digging through the pack. Under all of the food lies two flesh colored body suits. I pick one up and examine it; it seems to be some sort of armor. Then I grab the second and inspect it. It's smaller and curvier than the first – it's Clove's. I throw the material as far as I can, not wanting to be reminded of how I couldn't save her.

The armor lands with a thud and I walk over to investigate; if my prediction was right, it _should _have landed in the nearby creek. And that would _not_ make a thudding sound. I walk over to the place where it landed and my jaw drops to the floor. The water is gone; it somehow soaked up into the depths of the earth, leaving the surface dry and cracked. There's only one explanation for this – the Gamemakers. Without a doubt I can tell that they're trying to bring the District 12's and I together for one last battle at the lake by the Cornucopia, seeing as though the lake is the arena's main water source.

I change into my body suit and do a few stretches, testing the limits of the fabric. I'm about to set out for the Cornucopia when I hear it; the baying of wolves.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thank you all so much for your continued support! And sorry that I haven't been updating that often, school has been really overwhelming lately, I hope you understand! Anyway, reviews would be lovely! They really help me grow as a writer and I love hearing from you guys. So thanks in advance!


	14. Just a Piece in Their Games

The animal in me tells me to run, but opposing instincts tell me to investigate. The animal takes over once again and I find myself sprinting away from the sound of the wolves, sword in hand. _I can't outrun them, _I think to myself. My eyes dart back and forth, looking for a place of refuge, and finding none.

The creatures are gaining on me, the sound of their footfalls becoming louder and louder. My mind races, trying to think of a plan when suddenly, an idea hits me; the Cornucopia! As soon as the thought comes to me, I trip over a rock, falling to the ground. While struggling to get back on my feet, I get my first glimpse of the dogs.

My line of vision immediately goes to their gnashing teeth and I scrambled to get up, my heart pounding. I make a beeline for the Cornucopia.

Adrenaline pumps. Sweat drips. Head spins. Muscles scream. Heart beats. Closer; the beasts are getting closer.

Katniss and Peeta come into sight as I break from the forest. She raises her bow and shoots an arrow at my chest, but it bounces off. Thanks to the armor, her weapons can't touch me. I run right past them – I have bigger problems to worry about. I reach the Cornucopia and scramble to the top of the golden horn, the hot metal burning my hands. I pull myself as far away from the edge as I can and lie there, doubled over from exhaustion.

I hear the star-crossed lovers of District 12 help each other to the top, escaping the beasts. I look down and see one of them snarling at me. What caught my eye, however, was the collar around its neck. It read "2". The realization hit me like a wall of bricks. The dark hair, the dark eyes, the lean figure, the collar – it was Clove. I look around below me and see that they all resemble the deceased tributes, and I look away. The Capitol turned Clove into a beast; they turned her into a mutt.

"Can they climb it?" I say almost unintelligibly to my competitors on the other side of the horn, coughing and sputtering all the while.

Lover Boy and the girl on fire exchange a few words, but the blood pumping in my ears is too loud for me to hear them. Realizing that now is the perfect time to end these games, I muster up my strength and pounce for the boy from District 12.

This is it. It's now or never.

We both struggle, hands thrusting out at each other other's throats, knife clashing against sword, neither of us gaining the upper hand. If those mutts hadn't worn me out just minutes ago, I would've killed Peeta _and_ Katniss by now. Katniss loads her bow and pulls back, poised to shoot. This distracts Lover Boy and I twist him around and put him into a headlock.

"You shoot me, and he comes down too." I say with a smile, knowing by the look on Katniss's face that I am winning this battle.

The mutts assemble around the Cornucopia, impatiently waiting for their prey. They paw the ground, gnash their teeth, and howl at the dark sky. They're ready for the kill, and so am I.

As I'm choking Peeta, something brushes along my hand, and I comprehend what's going on a moment too late. The arrow cuts through the air and straight into my hand – the only place that wasn't covered by my skin tight armor.

I let go off the boy and topple over the side of the Cornucopia, now at the mercy of the mutts. My sword falls down, too, and I immediately grab its hilt and swing it about, not-so-strategically. The beasts start to tear into me, my armor starting to falter.

Panic sets in. There will be no coming back from this, but I am _not _going down without a fight. I owe that to my family, to my District, and to Clove. No matter how much it hurts, I will not scream. I refuse to give the star-crossed lovers that satisfaction. I refuse to let my brother and sisters see me that way. I refuse to be another piece in the Capitol's games. Although, I always was, wasn't I? They had me convinced that this was the only way that I could avenge my uncle, the only way that I could restore what little family I had left, and the only way that I could bring honor to my district. Now I can see that I was raised for the slaughter. All I am is entertainment to them, and I just fueled their sadism by willingly killing children for their enjoyment.

If only I had realized this when I was 12.

My sword clatters to the ground, and the beasts drag me into the Cornucopia. I force myself to open my eyes and look into the eyes of my killer. What I find sends my head spinning – it's the Clove mutt. It may not actually be her, but I could never fight against this muttation. I guess I lied that one night before the tracker jacker incident; I would never be able to kill her. Not even if she was the beast hovering over me.

The dogs sink their razor sharp teeth into my skin again, and I let out a scream. I can't take it anymore; the searing pain is too much to bear. I scream throughout the rest of the night as they tear me limb from limb, lying in a pool of my own blood.

* * *

><p>What feels like hours later, the mutts leave, and I am left alone in the Cornucopia. The only thing that I can do is moan.<p>

"Please." I groan, begging for Katniss or Peeta to end my life.

I had never wanted something so badly.

"_Please."_ I plead, crying now.

From the lip of the Cornucopia, I see a head drop down and fire an arrow into my neck. And as my world fades to black, I realize that I never was the predator; I have always been the prey.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>** Well, there you have it! BUT don't forget that there is still an AU and an epilogue to complete! I'll be picking up from the Feast Scene and writing it my own way, so I hope that you enjoy it. Reviews are deeply appreciated :) **


	15. AU: The Feast

**Clove:**

Cato and I crouch in the underbrush by the Cornucopia, waiting for someone to make the first move. We don't exactly have a plan, but you can never really predict what will happen at the Feast.

"District 5, 2 'o' clock." Cato says calmly.

I take one of the knives I had been clutching and send it soaring. I watch the weapon as it flies, and I smile as it hits my target in the neck and her cannon sounds. It wasn't my best work, but it will do; running targets aren't easy to hit.

Giving away our spot was risky, but at least we don't have to hunt the girl from 5 down. I hate to admit it, but she knew what she was doing and was a damn good hider. I would've gone insane trying to find her in this arena full of perfect hiding spots for a clever girl like her.

"Here comes Thresh. Ready?" Cato asks.

I nod.

As the District 11 boy comes further into the clearing and closer to the table, we pounce. Cato runs up to the tribute and slashes his torso as he tries to escape. 11 doubles over in pain, and I jump onto his back. I grasp his head with one hand and use the other to hold a knife to his neck, making escape impossible.

Cato comes around to face Thresh and stabs him in the gut, twisting his sword around. He lets out a cry of pain and Cato laughs maniacally.

I slit the dark-skinned boy's throat and stand up, cleaning my knife with the hem of my shirt.

Cato looks at me quizzically; disappointed almost.

"We came to the Feast to do business; we don't have time to play with our victims." I state matter-of-factly.

He nods and sticks his sword into Thresh's twitching body for good measure and the cannon goes off.

"Twenty down, two to go." Cato says excitedly.

"I think we'll let nature take care of Lover Boy, we just have to get the girl."

"It's not going to be as easy as it sounds; she can shoot pretty far with those arrows of hers."

"Are you underestimating my skills?" I ask, one eyebrow raised.

He brushes off my accusation and looks around, probably trying to find Katniss. I follow suit and find nothing.

"Let's just get the bags and go back to camp." he says.

We walk over to the table, weapons at the ready just in case of a surprise attack, grab the two bags and run back to our base camp.

* * *

><p>Once we're back, we sit down and search through the packs.<p>

"Looks like they sent 12 some medicine for Lover Boy; too bad he'll never get it." I state indifferently. "What's in ours?"

"Just some suits."

"Suits?"

"Yeah, like armor."

He tosses me the smaller of the two and I put it aside. A crippling pang of hunger hits my stomach.

"Anything else?" I ask, hoping that the Gamemakers were kind enough to give us some food.

"Uh… yeah! Food!"

I allow myself a sigh of relief and tear into the packages of food, both of us making sure to put most of it aside for later.

After I've eaten my share, I go back to our tent to put the rest of the packs away. When I come back out, I see Cato turn to face me.

"You know, we never really gave the audience a good show at the Feast." he says.

"And? We're two steps closer to winning, who cares about what the audience?"

"I just think that it's unfair to deprive them of that."

"What are you getting at?" I ask, getting suspicious.

"Well maybe we could give them a different kind of show. You know, as compensation." he says, looking at me in a way that makes me feel like I'll burst into flames. "It would only be fair."

I shoot him a menacing glare and turn to close the tent. Moments later something pushes me to the ground. I roll onto my back to find Cato kneeling over me, sword in hand.

"Or we could give them a real fight." he says, raising one eyebrow. "Your pick."

I pull a knife from the folds of my jacket and wrestle my way on top of Cato, the knife hovering just millimeters above his throat.

"I think they'd like violence better." I say through clenched teeth, straining against his brute strength.

"_Who cares about what the audience thinks?" _he says, using my words against me.

He strains to gain the upper hand, dropping his sword in the act. Now that he has both of his hands, he ends up overpowering me and hovers over me once again. Leaning on one elbow, he forces the knife out of my hand, which isn't all too difficult considering that I had given up the fight. He throws the knife aside and I pull him into a kiss, catching him off guard.

The kiss becomes deeper, more fiery and passionate than the ones before. My hands become entangled in his matted, dirty blonde hair and my back arches, rising to meet his body. Our bodies and our lips – they move as one.

The arena and the cameras seem to fade away, leaving Cato and I to savor the moment.

Somehow we end up sitting with my legs wrapped around his torso as he reclines against a tree. His tongue traces the line of my lips, sending a familiar chill done my spine. I cup his face with my hands, my fingertips feeling alive with electricity. His hands grab my waist, pulling me closer to him. Our bodies always in synch; made for each other, almost.

I break the kiss, leaning my forehead against his, trying to catch my breath.

"We need to plan." I manage in between breaths.

"For what?"

I look up to Cato and smile. "The Finale."

**Cato:**

I look into her eyes and see that something is brewing inside that head of hers, that sadistic smile growing on her face.

"What's the plan?" I ask, already knowing that she has one in mind.

"So here's what we're going to do."

We fell asleep early last night, so, consequently, we woke up at the crack of dawn.

Clove is already by the supplies, preparing to carry out our plan, when I stir awake. She counts her knives and adjusts them in her jacket, putting most of them on the left so that she can reach them easily. I lumber over to where I had left my sword after our little "fight" and grab the hilt.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Ready."

We leave everything but our weapons behind and walk deeper into the woods, not planning to return. Tonight, we become victors. And after about half of an hour of slinking through the forest, a cannon goes off. Clove whirls around to face me and mouths "Peeta?" and I nod in agreement. He had needed medicine for his leg – medicine that he never got. My best guess is that he died of blood poisoning.

"Look!" Clove whispers.

About 20 yards away, we see a hovercraft descend to pick up Peeta's lifeless body. I meet Clove's eyes and find them filled with excitement – a mirror of my own.

Katniss never would've left Lover Boy's side; that's why she didn't go to the Feast. Chances are she is near that hovercraft, and chances are she'll be caught off guard. What with the element of surprise, our skin-tight armor and us outnumbering her, it'll be an easy kill.

We continue slinking towards the place where we had seen the hovercraft. 15 yards. We see her walking out of a cave. 10 yards. She steps into a creek, walking downstream. 5 yards. She spots us and shoots an arrow at my heart. The arrowhead bounces right off. Clove and I laugh, and District 12's eyes widen in fear. She runs for the nearest tree and starts up it, trying to escape us like she did the night before we were attacked by tracker jackers.

Clove expertly hurls a knife at her, hitting her in the arm and causing her to fall 10 feet to the ground.

We've got her.

She knows she can't run from us so she winces as she pulls the knife out of her arm and rises, standing her ground. When we get within 5 feet of her, Clove pounces, knocking them both to the forest floor. I stand back and let Clove pin her down, which doesn't take long because of Fire Girl's bad arm wound.

I walk over and stick my sword into the palm of her hand and twist it, watching her face contort with agonizing pain. As I'm doing this, Clove decides to toy with our prey.

"It's too bad Lover Boy had to go." she purrs.

"You could have saved him if you had shown up at the Feast, you know." she continues.

Katniss struggles underneath Clove, and Clove slams her fist into the girl's windpipe.

"Did I _upset _you, 12?" she says between clenched teeth.

"Knock it off, Clove! You're going to choke her to death before we get to have our fun." I warn.

She removes her fist from Katniss's neck and 12 spits in her face. Fury boils beneath Clove's skin and she shakes with rage.

"Oh, you're going to regret that." she threatens. "Cato, help me out!" She barks.

I step on Fire Girl's braid, holding her head to the ground and Clove pries open her mouth and cuts out her tongue in one swift movement. District 12 tries to keep her face void of emotion, but you can see panic rising in her eyes as she gargles on her own blood, unable to breathe.

Clove rises from the ground while Katniss lies there, helpless and dying. Finally, it's my turn.

I walk over and stand by her side.

"This one…" I say. "This one is for beating us in training." I spit at her, bringing my sword down on her wrist, bringing the hand off. I switch to the other side.

"This one is for outshining us at the tribute parade." I say, slicing her other hand off with a grunt.

Katniss lies on the ground, her eyes pleading for death, but I'm not finished yet.

"This one is for the tracker jackers." I bellow, creating a deep, long cut on her leg.

"And this…" I hesitate. "This one is for my uncle, who was killed 24 years ago by your disgusting mentor." And with that, I thrust the sword into her torso, twisting it forcefully.

The girl lets out a gurgled cry of sorts that chills me to the bone, but it is stifled by more gagging.

"End it, Cato." Clove says in an annoyed tone, ready to get it over with.

I bring the sword up over my head for one final blow, and bring it straight down on her neck. Her bloodied head rolls to the side and the cannon goes off.

I stand next to the maimed body and just stare at it. Shouldn't I feel different? Shouldn't I be proud of avenging my uncle's death? But as I stand there, panting, all I feel like is a monster. It's as if a switch had flipped in my brain, and it took the bloody, cruel deaths of 24 children to realize it.

Clove walks over to me and we hold each other tightly. We did it; we can finally go home.

After a minute or two, I start to worry.

"Shouldn't they have made the announcement by now?" I ask.

As if responding to my questions, Claudius Templesmith's voice comes on over the loudspeaker, booming across the arena.

"There has been a slight… revision. The rule change stating that two tributes from the same district can win has been revoked. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Clove looks up at me and we stare at each other in horror, a tear trickling down her cheek.

I know that we both had said that if it came down to the two of us, we would both put up a fight, but I'm not so sure now.

But, judging by the baying of wolves in the distance, I can tell that it's not each other we'll be fighting.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I'm _very _sorry for not updating for a month; I've been really busy and such. Please leave a review! And remember that you don't have to have an account to write one.


	16. AU: Victor

**Clove:**

I want to investigate the sound of the dogs, but my survival instincts tell me to run. I give in and go into survival mode, grabbing Cato's arm and sprinting for a place of refuge – the Cornucopia. If we reach it in time, we can climb on top; it'll buy us some time to figure out a game plan.

The sound of the animal's heavy footfalls come closer and closer, but I refuse to let panic set in. I have to concentrate on one thing at a time, and right now that thing is getting Cato and I to the Cornucopia, and safely.

Cato grabs my shirt, pulling me and urging me to run faster. Even though one of us is going to have to die soon, neither of us is ready to leave the other to the mercy of the beasts. I temporarily brush off the idea that our imminent doom is just minutes away and concentrate on my keeping my breathing steady. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something glinting off of the setting sun's rays.

"The Cornucopia!" I exclaim.

We take an immediate right turn and run for the golden horn, panting as our place of refuge comes closer. Adrenaline runs through my veins like ice water as we burst through the clearing. Cato and I reach the Cornucopia at the same time, scaling its side and pulling ourselves up, collapsing when we get to the top. He drags me into the middle when we see the wolf-beasts pouncing and clawing at the metal structure, trying to get us.

As I catch my breath and the pounding in my ears stops, I can concentrate enough to see what they look like. I gasp when their human eyes bore into my own and I can see the collars on them numbered 1-12.

They're the dead tributes; all 22 of them.

I cringe in disgust; surely they are one of the Capitol's creations.

I sit up and meet Cato's defeated gaze, the realization of our situation hitting me full force. The rule change was never meant for us; it was made for the star-crossed lovers of District 12. That's who Panem was rooting for. Now we're just two kids who killed the nation's fan favorites.

I try to keep my features void of emotion, but my eyes betray me. Tears well up in my lids, and I can feel my lip start to quiver. We were supposed to be victorious, _together._

I want to go home. I want to go back to the time when I was too naïve to see what these games really do to people. For once, I'm scared; terrified even. If I lose Cato, I lose a part of myself; he's the only one who really understands me.

Despite my emotions, I put on a brave face and prepare for the battle ahead.

"They have to have their victor, Cato." I say with downcast eyes.

He caresses the side of my face and we share a brief but passionate kiss – our last goodbye. We stand up and grab our weapons, remembering the promise we made to each other the night before we had been attacked by tracker jackers.

* * *

><p><em>"You know that if it comes down to us, I'm still going to kill you, right?" Cato asks me.<em>

_"I was hoping you'd say something like that." I admit._

_"And I expect you to fight to the death; don't just give up because it's me fighting you." he adds, turning to face me._

_"Now that's a promise I know I can keep." I respond, meeting his eyes with mine and smiling._

_It's weird; the way we're talking sounds like we could be discussing the weather or something trivial, but in reality, we're sealing each other's doom._

_"It doesn't change my feelings for you, though." he says even quieter than before._

_"How can you say that? Saying 'Hey, I have feelings for you, but I'm going to try my best to kill you anyway' kinda changes things, Cato." I say with frustration._

_"Do you think we would kill each other if we had the choice? No. We're being forced to. Yes, it'll hurt me more than you'll ever know if I have to kill you, but we need this. We both have things at stake back in District 2 that we can't forget about. So until the time comes for us to fight, I don't think it changes what I feel for you."_

* * *

><p>The sky quickly goes dark – surely it's the Gamemakers's doing – and the mutts seem to settle a bit, now just pawing the ground and gnashing their teeth menacingly.<p>

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, clutching a knife in each hand. I allow myself three seconds to clear my mind.

When my three seconds are up, I open my damp eyes and put on a brave face. I'm a Career tribute; I can't afford to have emotions. I twirl my knives in my clammy hands and get into a defensive stance, waiting for Cato to make the first move. I make sure to avoid looking at his face; I don't need to be reminded that I'm murdering the person I love.

He runs over and swings his sword at my neck, but I agilely duck and roll out of the way. I come to my knees and send a knife soaring for his right arm – the one he favors – and hit my target spot on. Cato pulls the knife out of his upper arm and tosses it over the side, making the mutts go ballistic. Although I am now down one knife, I have made his favored arm practically useless.

He puts the sword into his left hand instead and it turns out that he just as skilled with it as he is with his right. I expected this and am one step ahead of him, dodging his next blow and rolling to the right. We go back and forth in a dance-like motion, one striking while the other dodges.

I want to stop. I want to break down and wake up from this nightmare; but I can't. My emotions _can't _fail me now; my life is on the line, and I need to keep a clear head.

I take another deep breath and focus on my next move. Getting close to the edge of the Cornucopia is not an option; he could easily push me over the side to the mutts. I don't know what to do.

Suddenly, a burst of courage hits me and I find myself pouncing onto my district partner's back. He swings his sword around and creates a deep gash across my back. I wince at the searing pain, but continue to focus. He tries to throw me off, but I hang on with every muscle in my body.

My knife finally makes contact with his throat and slits it. He drops to his knees and his grip loosens, so I jump off of his back and kick the sword out of his hand, into the group of raging muttations.

I put my knife back into my jacket and fall to the cool metal of the golden horn. _What have I done?_

I find myself crawling over to Cato, who is still alive, but barely. I sit by his side and run my hand through his matted hair.

"I'm so sorry." I manage in between muffled sobs.

"_I'm so sorry." _I say quieter, breaking down my walls and letting the tears flow.

I finally allow myself to look into his eyes again, and I find that he is looking at me too. I take his hand in mine and hold it tightly, not wanting to let him go.

"I promise I'll take car of Euthalia, Helena, and Ariston; I won't let you down, I promise." I'm becoming hysterical, and I have so much to say but by the looks of it, I only have a few more seconds left with Cato.

"I love you, Cato" I confess between choked sobs. "I'm so sorry."

His cannon goes off and the mutts run back onto a platform, which sinks into the ground and closes again. The Gamemakers must be upset that their disturbing creations didn't get put to good use.

I fall forward and rest my forehead on Cato's lifeless chest, bawling and gasping for air.

I'm a monster. Cato had a family that was depending on him; he had a life back in District 2. As for me, the only life I know is this. This is what I was raised to do; I was bred for the Hunger Games.

I can't go back home; Piper and Atonia will be too scared of me to ever talk to me again. And why should I blame them? I'm a murderer. All of the kids I killed, they were just like Cato. They had people back in their districts that depended on them. They had families, friends, and significant others. And I took them away from this world.

A hovercraft comes down from the dark sky and I kiss Cato's forehead, tears still spilling over my lids. I slide the ring with his family crest on it from his finger and put it on my own, making a silent promise that I'll make sure his family gets it back.

I reluctantly grab hold of the ladder hanging from the aircraft and freeze in place as I ascend.

When I get inside the hovercraft, a small woman injects something into my arm.

"It removes your tracking device." she says.

I am released from my frozen state and I rub the moisture from my face.

"What day is it?" I ask emotionlessly.

"It's August 19th." the woman replies.

Well, happy 16th birthday to me.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> Now I don't know exactly when the epilogue will be up, but I'll try my best to get it finished (I've rewritten it 4 times now). And please leave a review! Remember, you don't need to have an account to write one.


	17. Epilogue

If I have learned anything since my games, it is that a lot can happen in a year.

It all started when I murdered my parents. I can still hear their harsh words in my ear, like whips stinging my skin.

"_You're a disgrace, Clove."_

"_How could you be so weak in front of the whole country?"_

"_You never would've won without our help."_

It was too much; I couldn't take it anymore. No matter what I did, they were never satisfied. And after 16 years of abuse, I had finally had enough; so I killed them. It was easier than I thought it would be; enjoyable, even. A familiar sadistic smile spreads across my face. It was the same one I wore when I watched them writhe in pain, begging for death. When I close my eyes, I can still see the knife sinking into their flesh, and I shiver at the memory. I'm not sure if it's a shiver of terror, or a shiver of pleasure, but I welcome it anyway.

I remember Piper and Atonia running into the room and screaming, calling for Peacekeepers. I sprinted for my house in the Victor's Village and never went back to my old home again.

Thinking about my sisters stung and caused a deep ache to rise in my chest. I close my eyes and will the pain to go away. Their reaction when our parents died pained me; it was like being betrayed. After all of those years of trying to protect them and training for the games for them, they acted like I was a monster. They weren't wrong about that, but I'd like to think I am less of a monster than my parents. How could they run, crying and screaming, to the man who had abused them, and the woman that was too spineless to do anything about it?

The Peacekeepers came to my new home the next day and let me off with a warning; they weren't going to punish me for the murder of my parents. They said it was because they "don't want their newest Victor to make our district look bad." Then they left just as swiftly as they came.

The Victory Tour came and went. I dreaded having to relive the games, but I managed to get through it. In the end it was a large event where I got the same glares from different faces, 11 consecutive times. It was a relief to be home after those seemingly endless two weeks, but there was one problem; what should I do with myself?

The first thing that came to mind was Cato and the last promise I made him – that I would return his district token to his family.

It didn't take long to find Euthalia; just a day or two of walking through the poorer sectors of District 2. I can still remember knocking on the shabby door, and the smile that spread across her face when she opened it.

She had immediately pulled me into a tight embrace, but I was too shocked to return the gesture. How could she be so welcoming to me? How could she embrace her little brother's killer?

"_I'm so glad you came!" she says, almost as if she was expecting me._

_I stare at her, confused. "But…"_

"_Anyone with eyes could see that you loved him, Clove; it wasn't your choice to…" she chokes on her words, "to kill him." Euthalia blinks a few tears away. "He would've wanted me to be welcoming – to be kind." She touches my cheek and gives me a weak smile. "He loved you, too; I could see it in his eyes." she whispers._

_I decide that around her it's safe; I can finally let down my walls again._

_A tear falls down my cheek and I stifle a sob. I miss him. I miss having his arms around me, and I miss our stupid fights and struggles for dominance. I've tried to heal, but it's just too painful. Instead I've ignored the dull ache is my chest, and for the first time in a few months I acknowledge that pain._

"_I came to give you this." I say, fumbling in my pocket for the ring with Cato's family crest on it. I hold it in my outstretched palm, waiting for her to take it._

"_You keep it." Euthalia says, closing my fingers around the metal. "That ring brings back too many... unpleasant memories." she tells me._

That day, I found a purpose again. Most of my days were spent with Euthalia and her twin siblings, Helena and Ariston. My family was either murdered or had abandoned me, and the remainder of theirs was dead, so we filled in the holes left behind; we became each other's family.

They eventually moved into my house in the Victor's Village with me, and everything felt good again. It wasn't perfect, but it was good. Some wounds will never heal, but I've learned to live with them.

Then, the 3rd Quarter Quell came around.

I remember hearing Seneca Crane announce this year's twist to the games on the television in the living room; and I remember the dead silence that followed afterwards; they were reaping from a pool of previous Victor's family members; if there were none, they reaped dead tribute's family members.

My sisters were supposed to be dead to me, but I couldn't help but give in to the fear gnawing at me; Atonia might be reaped. Piper had just turned 19, so she wasn't any of my concern.

A few weeks later, the reaping occurred. Jace and I sat on the stage in front of the Justice Building, waiting nervously as we waited to see who we would be mentoring this year. The next thing I remember is the crippling ache I felt when they called her name.

"_Atonia Hartwood." Kayval Wentsworth, the District 2 escort, chimes._

_I look out into the sea of District 2 citizens and see Helena and Ariston clutching Euthalia legs, and Euthalia gives me a sympathetic look. I quickly turn away before I break down._

_It's funny how a person can change when they are whittled down to their core. I thought that I wanted nothing to do with my little sister because she betrayed me, but now I realize that I still want to protect her. But I can't; I can't save Atonia this time._

My lip quivers and I suppress a sob. My 13 year old sister died in 3rd Quarter Quell. There was nothing that I could've done to save her.

The day she died, I went on a killing spree; it was the only way I knew how to work through this new pain. The Capitol wasn't very happy about that, so they did the unimaginable. They killed Euthalia, Helena and Ariston and made it look like an accident.

That was only three days ago.

I sit in a corner of my dark house all alone, haunted by the memories of my loved ones. Cato has been dead for a year, and the ache I feel hasn't lessened one bit. Piper abandoned me, and I haven't seen her since I killed our parents. We were sisters, and I'll miss her until the day I die. Atonia was killed by the District 12 male tribute, deepening my hate for that district. Euthalia, Helena and Ariston haunt this place the most. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the twins's laughter coming from upstairs, and I can still feel Euthalia's comforting hand on my shoulder.

I was right; some wounds just don't heal. Every day is a battle within me; the depression warring with my will to keep going. And what's the point of fighting the sadness if I have nothing to live for? Everybody knows I'm crazy and they avoid me; not that I ever leave my house anyway. Why should I live alone? I'd be better off dead.

Tears stream down my face and my body is riddled with sobs. I claw at my chest, trying to find a way to let the agony escape. The grief swallows me whole and I feel like I'm suffocating; like I lost the inner battle with my agony.

I force myself onto my feet and work my way up the stairs and into my room where I keep my knives. I take one out of its case and hold it up to my throat; a quick death.

Today is August 19th. Today is my 17th birthday. Today I stopped fighting the agony. Today, I died.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: And thus concludes my first fan fiction. Thank you so much to everybody who read this story, and a HUGE thanks to everybody who reviewed it! I have a couple of unwritten fanfics lined up right now, but who knows, maybe I'll do a completely different Clato one!<strong>


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